Vergeire: No discussions with Marcos yet on who will be next DOH chief

After expressing her willingness to be appointed as Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH), officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said Tuesday she has not yet discussed the matter with President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

Both Marcos and Vergeire met during the National Kidney and Transplant Institute’s (NKTI) celebration of its 40th founding anniversary on Monday, but the DOH official said she believes that was not the appropriate time for her to raise questions on who will be the next DOH secretary.

“Wala ho kaming paguusap pa ukol dito. Parehong busy ang schedules yesterday,” she said at a press conference when asked if she and Marcos have already discussed the matter.

(We have not yet discussed this. Our schedules were both busy yesterday.)

Last week, Vergeire disclosed that she is now ready if and when she will be appointed as the next DOH chief. She explained that has seen a lot of opportunities that she could change and lead reforms with, having been able to serve as an officer-in-charge of the agency for the past six months now and being able to work and coordinate with people on the ground.

However, Vergeire said she does not want to put the Office of the President on the spot by asking questions about the matter as she does not want to pressure them.

“We just wait, and we do not want to preempt the decision of the President. Let's just wait for [his] decision,” she added.

Priorities

Should Marcos give her the position officially, Vergeire said that she will focus on providing health access and equity to the public.

“Access para ang mga kababayan natin, pwedeng kumuha ng serbisyo tuwing kailangan nila at tuwing gusto nila. At ‘yung equity, syempre ang ating focus on the vulnerable, focus on the poor, focus doon sa mga kailangang kailangan ng serbisyo ng gobyerno at kailangan ng tulong ng ating gobyerno,” she said.

(I want access for our countrymen so that they can get services whenever they need and whenever they want. And for equity, of course our focus will be on the vulnerable, on the poor, on those who really need government services and the help of our government.)

To make this possible, Vergeire said that the network of primary health centers and hospital facilities should be fixed to better navigate the needs of the patients. 

She also underscored the need of “financial protection” for the health facilities.

“We need to have this financial protection dahil hindi pa rin pupunta ang mga tao sa’tin kung wala naman silang pambayad ng serbisyo, kung wala sila pambili ng gamot,” Vergeire explained.

(We need to have this financial protection because people still won't come to us if they don't have the money to pay for the service or to buy medicines.)

Part of this financial protection, she said, is working with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) for the implementation of its outpatient drug benefit package.

“Kapag pumunta ang isang tao sa isang primary care center, niresetahan ng doktor, maaari na siyang pumunta sa mga pharmacies na accredited ng PhilHealth. Ipapakita lang ang prescription, ibibigay sa kanya ng libre ang gamot, ire-reimburse ang pharmacy ang PhilHealth,” she added.

(When a person goes to a primary care center and is given a prescription by a doctor, he or she can go to pharmacies accredited by PhilHealth. S/he just needs to show the prescription, and the medicine will be given to him/her for free. PhilHealth will reimburse the pharmacy.) — RSJ, GMA Integrated News