Deputy Majority Leader and Iloilo Rep. Janette Garin has urged the Department of Health (DOH) to follow the correct process of hiring consultants.
Garin cautioned the DOH after it hired a consultant without undergoing a through search committee, which will be needed to assess the qualifications of the applicant.
The House appropriations panel vice chairperson said it might be a duplication of the tasks of experts and program directors working full-time in DOH.
“Will it not be a duplication of expertise of the people within the department?” Garin asked DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa during the budget deliberations of the agency on Wednesday.
“Why don’t we instead align with specialty societies if we’re talking about non-communicable diseases? Why don’t we tap the Philippine Society of Cardiologists, why don’t we tap the Philippine College of Physicians?” she added.
The lawmaker also raised concerns over the possible chaos that may arise if the unqualified consultant has an opposing view as compared to the experts of the DOH.
As the country needs more health workers, Garin also called to minimize unnecessary expenses and hire more admin staff for the medical assistance program rather than high-paying consultants.
Herbosa disclosed that DOH has five consultants as of now.
Meanwhile, barangay health workers will be protected from their jobs following the issuance of a circular by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Health, said Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go.
Go, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, commended the DILG and the DOH for the recent issuance of a Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC).
He branded the JMC as a “right step” towards recognizing their significant contributions to the health of the country’s communities.
Describing BHWs as heroes, especially during pandemic, Go stressed they should be protected in their jobs.
“They are sincerely serving our community every day. It is just right they should be afforded safety in their work and benefits due to them,” said Go.