Health group to Duque: Focus on preventive health care

FILE: Health Secretary Francisco Duque III (Photo: Senate of the Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA — HealthJustice Philippines has expressed hope that newly confirmed Health Secretary Francisco Duque III would focus on preventive health care in his second stint as head of the Department of Health (DOH).

“We trust that under his leadership, the health department will develop and implement programs that prioritize prevention over cure. It is high time that we focus on the preventive aspect of health care,” HealthJustice board member Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan said in a statement released Thursday.

Galvez-Tan, himself a former health secretary, described Duque as a “battle-tested public servant”, saying his first term as DOH chief from 2005 to 2010 under former president Gloria M. Arroyo and his track record in leading the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) from 2001 to 2005 would benefit the department.

Duque, who was appointed by President Rodrigo R. Duterte as health secretary in October last year, was confirmed Wednesday by the Commission on Appointments after two hearings.

According to its website, HealthJustice Philippines is a non-governmental organization founded in 2009 to help bridge the gap between public health and law. A Bloomberg Awardee for Global Tobacco Control, it is a Program Partner of the NCD Alliance, an international network of experts, advocates, and organizations working to reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases worldwide.