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DOH denies ordering hospitals to conceal number of COVID-19 deaths
By JOAHNA LEI CASILAO,GMA News The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday denied that it issued a directive ordering hospitals to conceal the number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) deaths.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III issued the comment in response to a post by GMA News' Arnold Clavio which claimed that a hospital in Metro Manila received such orders.
Clavio did not say that the order had come from the Health Department.
"The DOH did NOT and will NEVER issue a directive for hospitals to conceal the number of COVID-19 deaths," Duque said in a tweet.
Clavio said that the bodies in the hospital began to pile up in the hallways and the hospital had called for more body bags.
In a separate statement, the DOH encouraged local government units to designate a crematorium for COVID-19 fatalities.
"Mr. Clavio disclosed to me the hospital allegedly involved in this issue and we will investigate IMMEDIATELY," he added.
In a separate Instagram post, Clavio thanked those who shared the information.
"May mga naghahanap po ng pruweba ng aking ibinahagi sa inyo. Ilang government official na rin po ang nakaalam na ng impormasyon na ito at umaasa tayo na agad silang kikilos at gagawa ng aksyon," Clavio said.
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"Ipagdasal po natin ang mga kaluluwa ng mga nasawi sa COVID19 na hindi na napapabilang sa istatistika. They deserve pa rin ng huling respeto," he added.
Clavio later extended his thanks to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III in another Instagram post.
"Nagpapasalamat po ako sa mabilis na pagtugon ni Health Sec. Francisco Duque III at ng ilang opisyal ng gobyerno sa problemang ipinarating ko rito," Clavio said.
He also stressed that he released verified information."[G]usto kong sabihin na bago ko po pinost ang problemang ito, tatlo po ang nakausap ko at nanindigan sa impormasyon na ipinarating nila sa akin. Verified information po ito dahil sila po ang direktang saksi," he said.
According to the reporter, cadaver bags have already arrived at the hospital, which he said was what was important.
Meanwhile, the East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) denied that it was running out of body bags amid reports circulating on social media.
The office further assured that bodies were not piling at the back of the hospital as they were coordinating with the government authorities.
The EAMC also said that it did not receive any orders from the DOH or the Quezon City Government to stop counting COVID-19 deaths.
Health authorities on Saturday reported a total of 4,428 confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide with a total of 247 fatalities and 157 recoveries. — DVM, GMA News