Funding issues hampering DOH's hiring of contact tracers

The Philippines is short of at least 76,000 contact tracers in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic due to lack of funding, the Department of Health said Tuesday.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire made the response after Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO representative to the Philippines, said that contact tracing efforts in the country needs strengthening to keep pace with the expansion of testing capacity.

Vergeire said that the country has only 54,000 contract tracers, far from the ideal ratio of one contact tracer per 800 individuals.

“Malaki pa po talaga ang diperensiya. Bakit hindi pa tayo makapag-hire ng mas madami? Part of the issue would be the funding. Kasi di ba, nung kinompute natin ‘yan, malaking pera ang kailangan mo, para ma-hire mo ng at least three months ang contact tracers,” Vergeire said during a virtual hearing hosted by DOH.

Vergeire said that contact tracers should ideally be graduates of a four-year course so that they can properly inform the public of COVID-19 and its consequences.

“Sana po kung puede, graduate ng four-year course dahil hindi lang po sila magte-trace ng contacts. Kailangan ang contact tracers should also know how to educate people, kailangan baon-baon nila ang impormasyon tungkol sa COVID-19, maipaliwanag po sa pamilya tungkol sa COVID-19, bakit tayo nagte-trace ng contacts, ano ba ang consequences kung kumalat, and so on and so forth,” Vergeire said.

“Aside from being contact tracers, they would also be a part of the monitoring team sa ground,” she added.

Vergeire said that contact tracers must be trustworthy to be able to do their job effectively.

“Most important qualification po ay they should earn the trust of the people dahil ang mga tao po, they would not share information to just anybody,” Vergeire added.

With fewer than needed contact tracers, Vergeire said that it is not surprising that the local government units are having a difficult time complying with quarantine protocols and managing COVID-19 cases, as observed by WHO’s Abeyasinghe.

“Those are valid observations. Meron talagang LGUs na ibang regions na kailangan ng tulong sa contact tracing at COVID-19 case management, iyong temporary treatment facilities…marami sa mga LGUs, pinapayagan ang mga COVID-19 patients na umuwi sa bahay,” Vergeire said.

“Kasama naman sa protocol natin na kapag mild and asymptomatic [ang COVID-19 patient] eh puede sa bahay mag-quarantine, pero dapat siguraduhin natin na babantayan pa rin iyong ng barangay health emergency response team na nasususunod ang quarantine protocols sa bahay,” Vergeire added.

Vergeire said that under the DOH’s home quarantine protocol, there should be an accompanying appropriate environment, meaning a separate room, equipped with a comfort room, for the COVID-19 patient.

“Kung wala pong separate room na may comfort room, hindi ho puede kasi makakasalamuha pa rin ng pasyente ang ibang kasama sa bahay. Kaya po itong management ng COVID-19 cases ng LGUs and iyong lack of individuals for contact tracing might be a contributory factor sa COVID-19 transmission,” Vergeire added.

The Philippines has registered 37,514 COVID-19 cases. Of this number, 10,233 recovered and 1,266 have died. —LDF/BM, GMA News