DOH to monitor hospitals’ compliance on regular COVID-19 testing of healthcare workers

The Department of Health will monitor and assist hospitals in complying  with the memorandum on regular COVID-19 testing of healthcare workers.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire issued the assurance after some healthcare workers refuted Health Secretary Francisco Duque III’s statement that medical frontliners are being tested every two weeks.

“We are going to check on this and try to assist hospitals to give protection to the healthcare workers,” Vergeire said in an interview with CNN-Philippines.

She added that the DOH has reiterated their issuance of a memorandum which states that all hospitals should have their workers tested, especially those catering to COVID-19 patients, every two weeks based on the resources of the hospitals.

Should the resources of the hospitals do not suffice, at least once a month or once every two months COVID-19 tests must be conducted, Vergeire added.

“It depends on the resources of the hospitals. Some hospitals right now, they are having number of individuals who they are testing because of the increase of number cases that is why they are not able to comply with this department memorandum,” she further explained.

On Tuesday night, the DOH posted Department Memorandum (DM) No. 2020-0546 or the Interim Guidelines on Mandatory COVID-19 Testing of Public and Private Health Workers anew following reports of lack of testing for medical frontliners.

The DOH urged also healthcare workers to report hospitals that are not providing the said mandatory tests.

— Hana Bordey/RSJ, GMA News