DOH defends ‘secrecy’ of A(H1N1) death

MANILA, Philippines - Saying it was part of standard operating procedure, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III defended Friday his department’s decision to keep the death of a House of Representatives employee infected with the A(H1N1) virus a secret from the House leadership. Duque, who faces a House of Representatives grilling over the matter, also maintained the Department of Health will not change this SOP in conducting its contact tracing of A(H1N1) cases. "Alam ninyo, ito ang protocol natin, ito ang guideline natin pag meron tayo sa contact tracing, di natin inaanunsyo ng pangalan ng tao o saan nagtatrabaho dahil ang contact tracing kailangan maayos na sinasagawa. Kasi kung di natin gagawin yan at naganunsyo tayo kaagad ang gusto mong i-contact tracing magtatakbuhan at ayaw magpa-interview, lalo tayong mahirapan at makakadagdag o mapapabilis ang kalat," Duque said over radio dzXL. [You know, this is our protocol, our guideline in contact tracing. We do not announce the names of A(H1N1) cases while contact tracing is ongoing. If we do, we risk having people who came in contact with A(H1N1) cases run and hide. We may no longer be aware of the spread of the disease.] But Duque said he is open to a suggestion by Sen. Joker Arroyo to stop giving the public a daily count of A(H1N1) cases. "Tingnan natin. Baka merong saysay ang kanyang mungkahi [We will see. Perhaps the senator has a point]," he said. Duque disclosed earlier this week that the first A(H1N1)-related fatality, a 49-year-old woman, was an employee of the House of Representatives. On Thursday, the House health committee chairman - South Cotabato Rep. Arthur Pingoy - threatened to grill Duque over his failure to inform them one of its employees had A(H1N1). Pingoy, a physician, questioned why the DOH did not coordinate early with the House leadership that one of its employees had A(H1N1). "Secretary Duque’s explanation that the DOH kept it secret from us because it was part of DOH protocol and to prevent panic is very ironic. On the contrary, this is against protocol because the DOH could have reported this to the leadership which could have exercised discrete health procedures. The DOH gravely endangered the health of our employees by keeping us in the dark. I think that the House should conduct an inquiry," Pingoy said. He said he could have immediately mobilized his committee and the House medical services to conduct contact tracing and other measures that would ensure the immediate containment of the viral disease. But Duque maintained that despite the looming investigation, the DOH will not change this protocol in conducting contact tracing. "Hindi nagbabago ang aming protocol [We are not changing our protocol]," he said. No SONA postponement On Thursday, Speaker Prospero Nograles frowned on suggestions to postpone Mrs. Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27 over the A(H1N1) scare. At least three House of Representatives employees were found positive for A(H1N1), with one of them turning out to be the country’s first A(H1N1)-related fatality. "I’m not personally so keen about postponement of the SONA. The situation in the House is expected to stabilize and be contained by next week and the event is still July 27 which is more than enough time to address the issue of the H1N1," Nograles was quoted as saying an in article posted on the House of Representatives website. - GMANews.TV