Acting Health Secretary Janette Loreto-Garin defended that no protocol violation has been committed in terms of handling Ebola virus response, after she visited the Filipino peacekeepers undergoing a 21-day quarantine on Caballo Island.
“As acting secretary of health, it is my duty to ensure that our UN Peacekeepers have the proper facilities and shall be accorded with proper medical treatment as the need arises. The Department of Health and the Armed Forces of the Philippines have been working together on this issue. Hence, [military chief ] Gen. [Gregorio Pio] Catapang and myself went to Caballo Island last Sunday,” Garin told reporters in a media briefing.
Garin also reiterated that it is her duty “to allay the fears of our Peacekeepers and help address their medical concerns.”
“We held a discussion with our soldiers and answered the questions they raised,” she said explaining that the use of Personal Protective Equipment [PPE] is only necessary when the patient is showing “signs and symptoms of Ebola.”
“Before meeting the UN Peacekeepers, a short meeting was held to orient General Catapang and the military medical corps to give updates on the Ebola interim guidelines. Guidelines on the appropriate use of PPEs were reiterated to keep everybody in the loop. The importance of not putting stigma on people coming from Ebola-affected countries was emphasized,” she furthered.
At this point, when Ebola is a global public-health threat, Garin said, “we cannot allow misinformation that will create unnecessary fear.”
She also appealed to the media for support in helping explain ways to control and prevent the spread of Ebola, as well as those in the medical profession, to base their statements on facts and internationally accepted guidelines.
“Doctors, we count on you and we need you to be part of this campaign. There is no other time for us to work together than now.”
It can be recalled that on Monday the Philippine College of Physicians criticized the visit of Garin and Catapang after they visited the soldiers over the weekend.
“Correcting misunderstanding and misinformation is essential in ensuring that our citizens remain Ebola-free,” she stressed.
Last week the 136 soldiers who arrived in the country from Liberia were immediately brought to Caballo Island for the 21-day quarantine, without allowing any contact with their family.
Image credits: (AP Photo/Armed Forces of the Philippines, PAO