Noong June 8, ang Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) ay nagpahiwatig ng kanilang naisin sa President-elect Ferdinand Marcos Jr. na pumili ng isang pro-health worker at pro-people na kalihim ng Department of Health.
Anila, sana itong pinuno ng DoH ay titindig laban sa privatization ng mga public hospitals at bigyan prayoridad ang kalusugan over kita.
“Our prospect is a DOH chief who is audient (one who empowers creativity) and responsive to the legitimate issues and concerns of the health workers for safety, protection, rights and welfare as well as the health of the people. A DOH chief who sees us health workers as partners in providing quality health services for the people,” Robert Mendoza, AHW national president, said.T
Sabi ni Mendoza gusto nila ang isang health chief “who has an excellent track record on good governance, accountability and integrity, and one who will wholeheartedly serve the people.”
Tatanggihan at lalabanan nila ng lubos ang isang DoH chief “who has a track record of being involved in “anomalous” transactions like the Pharmally deal.”
“…And one who has a record of gross negligence in the disposition of medicines and medical supplies as many of these were only stored in DOH warehouses and eventually expired and wasted, even as many patients are deprived of accessing free medicines, supplies and medical health services,” he said.
Sobrang dismayado silang malaman ang mga “injustice” done in tackling the Pharmally case, aniya.
“We will never forget that during the earliest surge of the pandemic, many have died, including our fellow health workers due to negligence and incompetence of the DOH and the Duterte administration. It is just so frustrating and infuriating that these demises happened amidst the P42 billion anomaly in the Pharmally deal,” Mendoza stated.ET
Ani Mendoza ang tinutukoy na P42 billion ay dapat ginamit sa pagbili ng mga COVID-19 and non-COVID 19 medicines, medical supplies at equipment, health workers’ protective gears and payment for the health workers unreleased Covid-19 benefits.
“Many poor patients could have benefited from it for their hospitalization and treatment,” he added.
AHW reiterated,
“They want a DOH secretary who will push for the provision of 10 percent of the Gross Domestic Product health budget in order to ensure free supply of medicines, modernization of health facilities and provision of free health services in all public hospitals,” dagdag pa ni Mendoza.
“The provision of enough budget for health would prevent commercialization and privatization of health services in government hospitals. A DOH chief who will address the chronic understaffing and contractualization among health personnel as these are obstacles in providing quality health care,” he said.
Kailangan nating ng isang Health secretary who can guarantee and will respect our constitutional right to self-organization, collective negotiations, peaceful concerted activities, security of tenure and to petition the government for redress of grievances, sabi ni Benjamin Santos, AHW secretary general.