“We don’t have a concept of disease surveillance where communities are regularly tested, or in looking for the possible source of infection.”
Health advocates urge gov’t to view pandemic as a public health emergency
Category: Health
DOH reports 17,220 new COVID-19 cases, groups push for free mass testing and medical assistance
Anakpawis Party-list First Nominee Rafael Mariano said, “We have been calling for free mass testing and medical support since 2020. These are the fundamental concerns of poor families, they are not able to take the test immediately and still want to work so that the family can have something to eat.”
Restricting the unvaccinated does not solve the COVID-19 surge, groups say
“Prohibiting access to basic services such as public transportation and threats of possible arrests and detention of unvaccinated individuals if they go out of their homes are certainly highly questionable policies that violate their rights.”
Health advocates call for free mass testing amid Omicron surge
“We must not neglect testing the way it has been in past two years. Access to testing must be ensured, especially for symptomatic individuals, and those who cannot work from home regardless of vaccination status.”
‘Resisting Tyranny’ | Anomalies, criminal neglect mar another year of COVID-19 response
For Joshua San Pedro, co-convenor of the Coalition for People’s Right to Health, corruption will persist until a comprehensive public health care is established and there are no more gaps in social services that may be taken advantage of and profited from.
COVID-19 pandemic solution should include human rights protection
“If we are to learn from the COVID pandemic, we must treat it as an opportunity to reframe public health and governance towards recognizing and promoting human rights.”
Pandemic Treaty for whom?
By insisting COVID-19 vaccines remain under the control of big pharmaceutical companies under their TRIPS-mandated 20-year monopoly patents, the WTO has effectively restricted access to these life-saving vaccines especially for countries who need them the most.
In PH, access to COVID-19 vaccines remains out of reach for the vulnerable
For Joshua San Pedro, co-convenor of the Coalition for People’s Right to Health, data on vaccine distribution in the country is anything but transparent.
Not letting health workers join 2022 partylist polls, ‘a big injustice’
Comelec earlier denied the Nurses United Partylist the accreditation it needs to run for the partylist elections next year. This, said Makabayan chairperson and senatorial aspirant Neri Colmenares, adds to “the big injustice suffered by our pandemic heroes.”
Filipino health workers’ safety and health in the midst of Covid-19
The reverting to the strictest lockdown did not offer relief to the overburdened health workers as Covid-19 cases continued to climb, following pronouncements from the health department that there is already a community transmission of the Delta variant, a variant of concern per the WHO that has brought nightmares to the public health care of other countries hit by it.
Union calls for PGH budget increase amid the sorry state of hospital
For perspective, the PGH received P6.87 billion ($134.90 Billion) in 2021. Thus, instead of increasing the hospital’s budget because of the increasing expenses due to the demands of the pandemic, the proposed budget cuts the hospital’s allocation by 18 percent.