On July 1, 2009, the Department of Health (DOH) posted in its website that it is “further bolstering its mitigation efforts against Influenza A(H1N1) in light of the anticipated rise of cases in the country.” Moreover,the posting said that “This is in accordance with the directives of President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo last week to prepare well-equipped isolation wards in all state-run hospitals throughout the country.”
Sadly, this pronouncement on the so-called bolstering of efforts against the disease was done 1,709 cases later.
Influenza A(H1N1) has already caused panic and hysteria among the general public. In fact, via constant media exposure and cases countdowns, DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III fueled more the public panic.
It can be remembered that during the first weeks of the disease in the country, the DOH poured a considerable amount of taxpayers' money on paid advertisements instead of using its resources on exhausting all means to educate people in the communities and taking first steps in preventing the outbreak. At that point, A(H1N1) was infective but not severe.
How the DOH and the government as a whole act now is not very surprising though. It has always been reactive in dealing with disease outbreaks while existing communicable but preventable diseases continue to cause fatality all over the country.
For instance, the number of dengue fever cases reaches thousands and its death toll reach hundreds yearly including those among very young children. From January to May this year, DOH reported 6, 537 cases of dengue.
In the National Capital Region, there have been 463 cases recorded in Manila and Quezon City alone. In the cities of Cebu and Santiago, there were 296 and 200 cases respectively. Meanwhile, 62 persons have already died of dengue in the country this year.
According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Global TB Report 2008, the Philippines ranks ninth on the list of 22 high-burden tuberculosis (TB) countries in the world. TB is the sixth greatest cause of morbidity and mortality in the country, the report stipulated. The country’s current ranking translates to some 250,000 Filipinos being infected with TB annually and 75 patients dying everyday from the disease.
As an agency existing to care for the health of the people, it should go beyond press conferences and media advertisements that are rather superficial. It should directly go to the communities and launch conduct massive health education drives in which people would know and understand A(H1N1) comprehensively alongside other health issues existing.
However, this is not a question that DOH must answer alone but a responsibility of the entire government.
But most importantly, the socio-economic needs of the people must first be met to ensure that families and individuals have the capacity to provide for their basic needs. Specifically, workers need jobs that will provide a liveable income and peasants need land which they can cultivate and get enough produce to meet their basic needs.
How can one prevent A(H1N1) disease through proper nutrition at these situations? While the best way to prevent acquiring the flu is by building up body resistance, how can poor Filipino families, who hardly have anything to eat, go by that DOH prescription?
It has been long overdue for the Arroyo administration to rethink the policies and programs it has implemented. The government should focus its attention in creating policies and programs that will prevent, manage and control diseases instead of merely implementing knee-jerk responses and stop-gap measures. Instead of reinventing the wheel in responding to outbreaks, why not come up with a sustainable and comprehensive plan that will truly address people's vulnerability to diseases?
The state should come up with a program that will genuinely address people's health. It is only through a sound health care system that the people can be armed with resistance and proper nutrition against whatever disease outbreaks that may come along.###
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