Filtered By: Topstories
News

Profs, health groups give gov't COVID-19 response ‘fail’ mark


Two professors at the University of the Philippines and two representatives of health groups on Wednesday gave the government a "fail" mark in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Marion Jimenez-Tan, a professor at the College of Social Work and Community Development, said the government's COVID-19 response has failed in terms of transparency, accountability, its recognition of and support for the participation of local government units, civil society, and the private sector; and respect for human rights.

Medical anthropologist and former UP Diliman chancellor Michael Tan said the COVID-19 lockdown is a "war on the poor."

"To be poor is itself to be a group at risk," he said, adding that unemployment due to the pandemic has deteriorated the living conditions of poor Filipinos.

Edelina Dela Paz of the Health Alliance for Democracy, for her part, cited the problems faced by health care workers, including under compensation for heavy workloads, inadequate protection, and stigma and discrimination.

Joshua San Pedro of the Coalition for People's Right to Health said Filipinos should keep pressing the government to increase its testing capacity and provide free mass testing for COVID-19.

He said he wants President Rodrigo Duterte to acknowledge the problems of the Philippine health system, which he said was further revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to commit to improving it in his upcoming State of the Nation Address.

As of Wednesday afternoon, health authorities have recorded 72,269 COVID-19 cases in the country. Of this, more than 23,000 patients have recovered and more than 1,800 have died. —LDF, GMA News

LOADING CONTENT