DOH confirms Leachon’s resignation

The Department of Health (DOH) on Thursday confirmed the resignation of Dr. Tony Leachon as a special adviser of the agency. 

“The Department admires the good doctor's wish to refocus on family, and remains open to any and all good intentions of assistance as we all march forward united towards UHC,” it said in a statement.

Leachon on Tuesday resigned from his post, only a month after he was named as the Special Adviser for Non-Communicable Diseases.

He said a hearing where he was branded as “not a public health expert” by a lawmaker was an “eye opener.”  He also said he wanted to spare his family from the attacks against him.

“It’s not good to be defending one’s qualifications  in the public eye. At this stage, I do not have to prove anything anymore,” said Leachon, who calls himself an independent health reform advocate.

“Even my noble aspirations and all of my actions to serve the country will be placed under the microscope, and the vicious attacks against me will never stop. I want to spare my family from this matter. Enough,” he earlier said.

Despite this, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said that Leachon remains as a “volunteer” consultant for the Health Department.

“The Department of Health (DOH) acknowledges that in the work for Universal Health Care (UHC), all offers of assistance and support are worth considering especially if they will benefit every Filipino,” the DOH said. 

Leachon previously served as a special consultant of the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF) during the Duterte administration. He, however, was removed from post following his criticisms against the government response on COVID-19 problem. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News