Dahil sa nararanasang El Niño ngayon na inaasahang magtatagal pa hanggang Mayo, ilang paaralan na ang nagkansela ng mga klase para makaiwas sa sakit na dala ng matinding init.
Bukod sa heat-related illnesses, binabantayan din ngayon ng Department of Health (DOH) ang paglobo ng mga kaso ng pertussis o whooping cough dahilan para magdeklara ng pertussis outbreak ang ilang mga LGU.
Ang paalala ng DOH sa publiko para maiwasan ang mga sakit na ito, alamin sa panayam kay DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa sa #TheMangahasInterviews.
Bukod sa heat-related illnesses, binabantayan din ngayon ng Department of Health (DOH) ang paglobo ng mga kaso ng pertussis o whooping cough dahilan para magdeklara ng pertussis outbreak ang ilang mga LGU.
Ang paalala ng DOH sa publiko para maiwasan ang mga sakit na ito, alamin sa panayam kay DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa sa #TheMangahasInterviews.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:05 Good day to all of you.
00:07 What dangers are the consequences of high temperatures?
00:10 The cases of pertussis and tigdas are increasing.
00:14 We will discuss this with Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa.
00:19 She became Undersecretary,
00:20 she helped in the campaign when COVID was monitored,
00:24 and she is a graduate of UP in Biology and Medicine,
00:30 so she is a scholar of the country.
00:31 Good day, Dr. Ted.
00:34 Good day, Malu, and good day to all who are following GMA News Online.
00:41 Alright.
00:42 Okay, so we will discuss the heat index.
00:45 I think the effects are too much on health.
00:47 What is your data now?
00:49 How many are affected and what should be done?
00:53 Actually, not that many. We don't want to increase it.
00:57 It seems that Filipinos are listening to the advisories we are giving
01:02 since the beginning of the heat.
01:06 The heat-related illness will increase because of El Nino.
01:10 It was said in December that in the next coming months,
01:14 we will have El Nino until May or June.
01:17 We are expecting a very high heat index.
01:21 The heat index is the combination of ambient temperature,
01:25 the temperature that you can read on the thermometer,
01:30 whatever reading it is, on your cell phone, car, or thermometer outside,
01:36 and the humidity level.
01:38 In the Philippines, our humidity level is anywhere between 60 to 80,
01:45 we are a high humidity tropical country.
01:47 So what's happening is the temperature is 31, but the heat index is higher,
01:52 like 37, so it's very hot and it borders on dangerous.
01:58 In fact, I'm happy because the weather bureau is reporting the heat index,
02:05 not only the temperature.
02:08 If it's the temperature, it can be 30, 28, 27.
02:13 But if you include the humidity of the area, it's different.
02:17 If you are near the beach, the humidity is higher.
02:21 If you are in the valley, the humidity is higher.
02:25 So that's the high heat index.
02:28 You can see that we have readings of 41, 42, which is in the danger zone.
02:33 If you reach the heat index of 37 upwards,
02:38 that's a warning to us doctors because the human body cannot stay long in a place with such high heat index.
02:48 So our advisories are very important.
02:51 Drink water, wear a hat, and don't stay in that place for long.
02:56 We told them if you are at the beach, don't stay in the hot place from 10 to 4 p.m.
03:02 because the heat index is very high.
03:05 Okay. Now, vulnerable groups by age,
03:09 it seems like the youth and those with senior citizen status, what are your advice to them?
03:17 Correct. You're right. It's good that you mentioned vulnerable groups.
03:21 It's very important for the youth because they don't notice their body temperature.
03:26 Sometimes, they just play under the heat of the sun and they are dehydrated.
03:32 It's very important to hydrate them and protect them from staying too long in hot places.
03:39 Those who are older, those are the ones who are more dangerous to be hospitalized because they are in uncontrolled heat and are very vulnerable.
03:48 They have heart disease. Usually, those who are older are dehydrated and their body water is low.
03:55 They will be dehydrated in the heat and their BP will increase, it can cause heart attack and stroke.
04:02 So it's not just heat-related illness, it's a complication of heat-related illness.
04:06 That's why the elderly are very vulnerable, the very young, less than five, and the very old senior citizens.
04:16 There is an impact on conducting classes. What are your advice?
04:21 When should classes be suspended and what can be done to those who are still face-to-face,
04:28 the classrooms are tight and there are not enough electric fans. What is the DOH's advisory on the athletic youth sector?
04:35 We are allowing them to declare deaf-ed depending on the situation of their area.
04:43 It's not the same as the heat index. It's not that there's no class in this heat index.
04:51 Some have low heat index but their classrooms have low ceilings and windows. It's very hot.
05:00 It's like you will make the children sleep for eight hours. It's not right.
05:06 Their decision is right. We leave it on a case-to-case basis that they will declare blended learning.
05:14 There are still classes, alternative modes of learning. It can be online, at home, or there are worksheets that can be done.
05:24 There are also other ways before declaring blended. You can modify the classroom, open the windows, add electric fans,
05:34 if you have money, you can add air-conditioning. So these are ways. There are other solutions other than declaring blended.
05:41 We are open to all kinds of solutions that can be done during the very hot days.
05:48 What should the office workers and those in the factories be prepared to do?
05:56 That's the requirement because there is occupational health and safety.
06:00 That's the mandate of the Department of Labor to provide safe environment and rest periods for very extreme environments.
06:11 Construction workers outside need to be provided with water and periods of rest so they won't stay in the hot sun for long.
06:21 The same goes for factories. In some factories, there are big fans to keep the air moving, ventilation.
06:28 If the air is not air-conditioned, make sure that the manufacturing area is well-ventilated and lower the hours so that the fatigue and fatigue will not cause heat-related illness.
06:44 All right. The transportation sector is also vulnerable. Our TNBS drivers are collapsing under the sun.
06:54 Our buses and trains are also collapsing.
07:02 Especially if the bus and train are air-conditioned, there's no problem. But if it's not air-conditioned, during the heat of the day, you will fill up the bus with people.
07:16 That's another factor. You will be exhausted, poor ventilation and additional... because the body heat, each individual is also experiencing body heat.
07:30 If you fill it up with a train or bus, there will be a problem.
07:36 Our TNBS drivers, if they are collapsing under the sun, they should have protection. They should wear long-sleeve shirts, sunblocks and they should wear heat-resistant helmets.
07:49 I advise them to hydrate. They should drink water and they should replace their body water that comes out from their sweat.
08:00 Secretary Ted, you are an expert in trauma medicine and emergency response. What is the danger point? What should be the emergency action to do if you are already exhausted?
08:14 Very important, we should feel individually if we are starting to feel weak and soft, we should know that the environment is hot and the heat index is high, we should cool off.
08:32 How does it mean to cool off? The very simple, wash your hands, go to the shower, drink water. It's very important to wet your face towel or bimpo and place it to cool off.
08:49 It's very important to cool down if you are feeling fatigue or illness, you are feeling weak. If you have a cold or clammy, it will be dry. Instead of sweating, it will be dry.
09:10 That is the nearest thing to get a heat stroke. That is the cold, clammy and near to collapse. That is an emergency. If it collapses, it should be brought to the emergency room.
09:22 We don't know if it collapsed because of heat illness or because of a heart attack or stroke or hypoglycemia. We will look for other causes.
09:34 If it collapses, we have no choice but to bring it to the emergency. If you know first aid, you can open the airway and check the pulse. You can do that if you are first aid trained.
09:45 But if not, the best is to go to the nearest hospital.
09:50 You mentioned earlier the El Nino. How long will this last? It's been weeks since we had a drought. Then in the afternoon, it will rain because our clouds are popping. What is your suggestion?
10:07 The estimate is May or June and then hopefully, the rainy season will enter. So we will endure this heat for two or three months and we should learn.
10:24 Don't go out without a hat, sunglasses or water. It's very important if we go out in the next few months, whether to work, to school or to vacation, you should always wear a hat.
10:38 Aside from heat stroke, what are the other diseases that can be the cause of our heat index problem?
10:47 When the weather is hot, there are many diseases, foodborne illnesses, waterborne illnesses, and vector-borne illnesses.
11:00 When the weather is hot, the food you cook will get spoiled easily.
11:05 So if you left your pancit earlier, especially if you are going on a picnic outside, after a few hours, it might get spoiled.
11:14 So it's very important to be careful. Sometimes, you can put it aside and reheat it. There are bacteria.
11:23 So you can reheat it and eat it. So be careful. Freshly cooked food so it won't get spoiled and cause problems in the stomach.
11:31 Waterborne, what's happening in El Nino, you know in other areas, there's no water. There are provinces that are reporting.
11:40 When the water supply is low, waste water contaminates the pipes and bacteria.
11:51 You can see that if you open the faucet, it's brown. It means the soil enters the rusty pipes and linkages.
12:02 It's also bacteria. So it's very important to protect the water you drink because it might lead to cholera, typhoid, and other waterborne illnesses that can cause symptoms.
12:17 In waterborne, when it gets hot, it also causes red tide. In other areas, there are declarations from the DNR regarding red tide in other areas.
12:29 Don't eat shellfish there. In other areas, we are impacted by water. Sometimes, it is the vector of the dengue.
12:39 There are people reporting that their dengue cases are increasing.
12:45 When the weather is hot, mosquitoes multiply. They want to multiply and hatch.
12:57 So the vector is increasing. There are more dengue, chikungunya, zika and other mosquitoes.
13:05 So cover the water you drink because mosquitoes want to hatch because they are looking for clean water.
13:16 All right. What is your advice to local government units and barangay? How can they prepare better?
13:23 We have a lot. Actually, in December, we started the El Nino Task Force in the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council.
13:34 We also created preparedness plans. It's very important to implement those plans and preparedness for those who have heat stroke.
13:47 The ambulance should arrive quickly. There should be areas where people should not gather in hot areas.
13:56 So these are very important measures of our LGU. Then information. I think the most important thing you're doing is risk communication.
14:06 We have risks, climate change, hot weather, El Nino, and information that the emergencies in our country are right or less.
14:18 So the LGUs should look at their risk comms. Maybe they should share the video that we will do online.
14:26 Show it to all the places so that everyone can understand what we will do.
14:32 We will go to another issue that many parents are concerned about, which is pertussis.
14:37 What is the situation now? How many cases are there and what can parents, teachers, and our LGUs do? What is pertussis?
14:48 We have many places that have outbreaks and have declared an outbreak of pertussis.
14:54 Here in our epidemiology bureau, we have registered 894 cases of pertussis since January. In a similar time period, almost zero last year.
15:08 We have a trend of increasing. From week to week, we have almost 10 to 16 percent increase. So the trend is really increasing.
15:21 We are helping different LGUs. Many have died. We noticed that those who are contracting pertussis, there are children who are contracting pertussis.
15:35 In Quezon City, Mayor Joy and their city epidemiology surveillance unit helped us yesterday.
15:43 It was said that the children who are contracting pertussis will be hospitalized for nine days.
15:49 We need to do early detection of whooping cough or whooping cough.
15:54 Whooping cough is a very characteristic condition. It is like coughing, like the sound of coughing, and then it will go on and on and won't stop.
16:04 It's like that. Whooping cough is called whooping cough in English. It's like coughing first and then coughing.
16:13 It's a big child. In a small child, you can see that the chest and abdomen are heaving. It's like a child can't cough.
16:24 It's like a baby's chest and abdomen. So if there are symptoms, if there's a cough, it won't go away for two or three days.
16:32 It's better to get vaccinated so we can lessen the number of deaths. For prevention, we have a vaccine, the pentavalent vaccine, but it's almost finished.
16:43 I'm waiting for our latest order that will arrive in July. Some of the LGUs said they will buy their own to be able to get vaccinated.
16:55 I got the pentavalent from other regions and gave it to the regions that need it because there are areas where the protection of children is high.
17:08 We are realigning and I will also buy the DPT because the pentavalent is a different vaccine.
17:16 Diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, haemophilus influenzae, and hepatitis B. Their outbreak is pertussis. We have a DPT vaccine available.
17:28 We will buy it. It's P9,184. I will procure it. So easily, another month or emergency purchase, maybe another month before it arrives.
17:39 Hopefully, in May, we can supply the shortage of pertussis vaccine.
17:44 Four regions have been reported to have cases. Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Maropa, and Central Visayas. What is the reason? Is this contagious?
17:54 Yes. Whooping cough is airborne. So many people will be infected with a child who has whooping cough.
18:04 That's one thing we are doing. If someone is diagnosed with whooping cough, we are isolating or quarantining the children at home because it spreads quickly.
18:17 That's our advice. If you are infected with whooping cough, isolate yourself and don't go to school because the reproductive rate or the spread of pertussis is high.
18:31 We have cases. Last year, they had no cases. The latest report for me, as of March 23, 800 plus.
18:42 I'm monitoring it. Before it was 200, it became 400, it became 800. So the doubling time is fast.
18:52 That means next week, it will be more than 1,000 cases. So it's important to be on the alert. Wearing a mask when you're sick is also okay so you won't infect your family.
19:06 But the best is to isolate and if you don't recover after a few days, you should go to the hospital.
19:11 We also bought antibiotics for pertussis or whooping cough so that we can supply it to our hospitals if we have more cases of whooping cough.
19:25 How different is it from the ordinary cough? Because some parents say that it's just a cough. Maybe it's just a simple cough and it's not whooping cough.
19:35 Number one, if the characteristic is the cough, I said the cough, and it's followed by whooping cough, that's a whooping cough.
19:44 If the child is not vaccinated, 90 percent of the cases we reported are unvaccinated.
19:51 So this is an outbreak of susceptible children who have not been vaccinated. If the child is vaccinated with pentavalent or DPT, they are protected.
20:02 So this is the one with a chance. Remember, a vaccine will lessen the course of the illness. So the chance of death is less if vaccinated.
20:12 So it's very important to check their vaccine status. If they are infected, within two or three days, they are not recovering, they should be examined by a doctor or brought to the hospital.
20:27 What is the danger point? You said three days. Are there other symptoms that they should be monitored? For example, a cold, dry cough, etc.
20:38 For our children, if the fever is very high, and here in whooping cough, the fever is rising, so if you have a high temperature, it can be convulsing.
20:47 Even if there is no 3D, you should bring them to the hospital. Or the fever does not go away. Even if you give them paracetamol, the fever is still high. It's better to bring them to the hospital.
20:57 So the other symptoms are very important, not just the cough. If the fever is continuous, it's not just an upper respiratory infection.
21:10 You described it wrong. That's the regular ARI, acute respiratory infection. It's not going to go away after two or three days. But if the fever is high, it's not just an ordinary acute respiratory infection.
21:25 It's the whole body.
21:27 The difference is that you said there's a wheezing.
21:31 Yes, it's like that. It's like that and it's going to go down and down. The baby's neck is long. Some call it a dog's neck.
21:45 Doc, just to be clear, there's a DPT vaccination for our babies. How high is the rate of vaccination? How is the un-served or unvaccinated population of the babies?
21:58 That's what we're worried about because over the past years, it has dropped. Only 71% of the fully immunized child has received the eight vaccines we give to the babies.
22:13 So that means every year, about 30% increase in the number of susceptible. After several years, when the number of susceptible increases, the transmission will increase.
22:27 So we are at that point because of many years of low vaccination. During COVID-19, we only detected COVID-19. We forgot about other diseases.
22:39 All hands on deck, we forgot to vaccinate. Our health centers are only vaccinating COVID-19 patients. They are the ones who are monitoring the temporary treatment monitoring facility in the hospital.
22:52 So our vaccine rate has dropped. I have measles outbreak in Barm, I have pertussis outbreak in Luzon and Visayas.
23:01 Now for senior citizens, how can they be vaccinated? Do they need to be vaccinated with Pentavalent or DPT?
23:09 Pentavalent is not being given to 12 and above 1-year-old. But there are other kinds of vaccines as booster, the so-called Tdap.
23:21 It can be given to seniors and Buddhists. We are not giving it to them, we are not buying it. But it is available in the private sector.
23:30 It is approved by the FDA and can be prescribed by a physician if you need it. It can be given to a private doctor.
23:40 I'm studying if we can recommend it because one of the recommendations of our experts is to give Tdap to third trimester Buddhists.
23:52 So in the last month, we are giving Tdap.
23:57 What is the possibility that vaccines will arrive or the vaccines will be delayed because you said the order is due in June and July.
24:06 If it won't arrive, how much will you be vaccinated in private hospitals?
24:11 I don't know the exact price of vaccination of Tdap. They can ask because I don't know the commercial rate.
24:18 We have talked to the manufacturer of the vaccine because this is how it is.
24:22 If we gave the contract to buy the vaccines, the vaccine company will manufacture the vaccines.
24:32 Because the shelf life of the vaccines is short. If I give a 3-month shelf life, I will reject it.
24:41 I will not accept it because I want a long shelf life.
24:44 The practice in the vaccine industry, once I place the order, a country places an order, they will manufacture it. Hence, 120 days before delivery.
24:56 We are buying off the shelf the DPT but we haven't bought a DPT for a long time.
25:04 DPT is what we used before Pentavalid. So we need to renew its CPR in the FDA.
25:13 The company has applied for renewal of license so I can buy the readily available in India.
25:22 My problem is that it's 91-84. So I will go through the process of the lowest bidder.
25:32 But we can buy it. We will allocate a fund and we will buy it.
25:37 Procurement law. That's the problem. Other procurement laws are in trouble because of single supplier.
25:44 Yes. You remember that. It's a Senate investigation. The PPE and other paraphernalia. I don't want to be involved in that.
25:55 Everything is legal when buying. The quickest way to procure is emergency procurement.
26:02 All right. Now, the situation in BARMM. What's the situation? Why is there a lot of cases of missiles in BARMM?
26:09 This is still September. Actually, September last year, in 2023, there were small clustering or outbreaks of missiles in BARMM.
26:20 If you remember, in May of 2023, the Philippines conducted missiles rubella supplemental immunization activity.
26:33 All of these are rotary. We have reached 85 percent of our target population, which is good enough.
26:42 But in BARMM, less than 50 percent were vaccinated. Hence, the unvaccinated are now infected. There are many unvaccinated children.
26:54 Since September, the municipality is the only one that is vaccinated. If you stop the vaccination, the virus will spread to other municipalities.
27:03 Since the last March, we have seen that there are many cases.
27:09 What happened in BARMM, actually the report is half. 56 percent of the national average. For example, 2,500 missile cases reported, 1,600 from BARMM region.
27:24 I went to BARMM during Holy Week and we started. They declared a public health emergency. The Minister of Health, Minister Pia, declared a public health emergency and the national government is now supporting it.
27:40 BARMM implemented what we call non-selective missiles outbreak response immunization. The process here is that you should vaccinate all vulnerable children, whether vaccinated or not, with missiles rubella vaccination.
27:59 So 1.3 million children are below our estimated. Before, we vaccinated only those who are 5 and below. But according to our data, 80 percent were 7 to 9 years old.
28:16 So 6 to 9 years old. We added more. Those who are unvaccinated during COVID, they are now 6 years old. So they are infected in school and in the home, the unvaccinated children will be infected.
28:32 So we've been trying to... We've been doing this since day four, MAURI, Missile Outbreak Response Immunization. We started April 1.
28:43 We have a lot of difficulties during Ramadan. Currently, during Ramadan, my vaccinators are not eating, drinking water, but they are vaccinated. It's heroic.
28:55 What are the symptoms? What should we monitor to be able to say this is becoming a disease? What are the symptoms?
29:03 The disease is usually in children, one-year-old or older. High fever with rashes. The rashes are very peculiar. They call it macula popular rash.
29:18 It's reddish and it's almost sticky. It's first in the chest and throat, not in the body or face. It should be checked.
29:29 Sometimes, parents miss it because they don't open the chest, but it's still swollen. If you see a lot of muscles, it's a measles. It should be checked. So it's very important.
29:44 Ninety percent of our cases in BARMM are unvaccinated. Only three people died. More people died in the whooping cough.
29:55 But measles spread faster. That's why there are a lot of children. Our target population is 1.3 million children, nine years old and below.
30:09 We are counting the estimated children in BARMM provinces. So three provinces are high. Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte and Sulu province.
30:23 The three are the highest numbers. We learned, although all BARMM provinces are vaccinated, but we learned in Crayon Provincial that they are vaccinated.
30:36 We have a lot of vaccine teams deployed there, three people per team. They are vaccinated. We have a mobile team at home.
30:49 We have temporary areas for vaccination and we have fixed areas, health centers and hospitals where children can be brought for vaccination.
30:58 Doc, is this measles disease is contagious or not?
31:01 It has a little bit of contagiousness. It has a little bit of measles rashes.
31:08 But it's not forming and it's not like it's flooding.
31:12 No. It's different. It's like chickenpox or boiling water.
31:18 When it comes to babies, mothers are saying that there should be a complete vaccination regimen, including MMR and DPT.
31:29 But is there a problem in the primary health care level? The vaccination requirement of our children five and below is not complete?
31:41 In BARMM, it is remote and hopefully our online news can reach there. The vaccine hesitancy is high.
31:51 In fact, there are many misconceptions. They are afraid of vaccines. Their concept culturally is that the thing does a right of passage.
32:03 The problem is, what we saw is 1,600, 70 percent are hospitalized.
32:10 If your child is hospitalized, you will spend anywhere from P40,000 to P100,000, especially if it depends on severity.
32:18 So the vaccine is P190 per dose.
32:24 So if we think about it, even if it's culturally right of passage, there is a way to get vaccinated for P190. It's free actually because they won't pay for the vaccine.
32:37 The cost of P190 is from the government. But the cost of getting sick, you can die because there is a death rate. It's more difficult.
32:47 What is the data? They say that the death from measles is not only measles but also complications such as pneumonia and other diseases.
32:58 Can you explain the danger of measles? If it's just an ordinary disease, it can pass, but if there is a complication, how can there be complications?
33:09 Correct. Measles is a very contagious illness. When a child is infected, especially below one year old, their immune system is activated.
33:20 Their antibodies are depleted and they will have an immunocompromised state or low resistance to other microbes.
33:30 So when a superimposed infection occurs, bacteria usually, the elderly will have bronchopneumonia and that is what kills the child.
33:41 Bronchopneumonia usually occurs one or two weeks after measles event.
33:50 What about seniors and the elderly who are also suffering from measles?
33:54 The good thing about measles is that when you have measles and you survive it, you have a natural immunity.
34:02 The elderly usually do not have it. Although there are cases of young adults who have measles, teenagers, especially if they were not exposed.
34:14 If there are many vaccinated, the unvaccinated is also protected. That is the herd immunity.
34:20 But once the herd immunity is down, those who do not have a vaccine can have measles.
34:26 Teenagers or adults can have measles if you have not been exposed to the illness over time.
34:32 All right. Now let's update on COVID. There are still cases. Is COVID manageable?
34:42 Actually, we are just counting COVID-19 with our influenza-like illnesses.
34:49 The latest mutation of the variant, Omicron, has mild symptoms.
35:00 If you notice, we are monitoring them for three to four days of sore throat, runny nose, cough, and they will recover.
35:11 Very mild. It is a variant that is very mild.
35:16 We have given 78 million Filipinos a vaccine against COVID-19 with their booster.
35:23 We are confident that it will not be a problem. My problem is the re-emerging infectious diseases which is pertussis, measles, and hopefully not the others.
35:35 The ones with diphtheria.
35:37 TB, tuberculosis.
35:39 TB is a problem now. Our burden of TB is high. In the world, we are number four with the highest burden of illness for TB.
35:49 This is what I'm focusing on. I'm trying to focus on TB. We broke the Guinness Book of World Records just to heighten the World TB Day.
36:01 We broke the human formation and lungs. We broke the 2015 record of 5,000 people. We were able to create 5,500 plus people.
36:13 We were awarded a certificate. The idea is not to break the world record, but to let people know that TB is curable, it has symptoms, and you can listen to those who have TB and are curable.
36:28 That's the complication of TB and HIV. Sometimes in some hospitals, it's not clear if it's HIV or TB because it can become a cause of death. Is that right?
36:42 Yes. It can become a cause of death. Usually, when a patient has HIV, it's usually TB because it's immune-defensive.
36:52 Usually, when we detect TB, when you check for HIV, there's HIV. So in my program, we included both, fighting TB and fighting HIV.
37:06 Do we need to wear a face mask because the mandatory is lifted?
37:10 Yes, it's not mandatory but it's good advice for people who are immunocompromised. If you have a dialysis, you have cancer, you're prone to illness, wear a mask in public places.
37:25 All right. My last question. Secretary, it seems like you're focusing on a lot of things, like communicable diseases, healthcare facilities, and there's a universal healthcare law.
37:35 What are the priorities and what should be responded to? Because in the last few years, there's a cut in the budget of government hospitals.
37:45 You have a small problem with more unmet needs than you can address. What are your priorities to implement the universal healthcare law?
37:56 The universal healthcare law, the focus is access to healthcare for all Filipinos. What I'm focusing on now is the strengthening of primary healthcare in the Philippines.
38:09 Over the years, we are investing. We are giving to the local government. The Department of Health is giving a lot of billions every year.
38:17 But the LGUs are building barangay health stations, rural health units, but there's no service. That's why I changed it. I said why don't we build a primary care facility.
38:28 Now we have built what we call the new urgent care and ambulatory services center. For Malu Hospital, it is complete with diagnostics,
38:38 day surgery, doctors. The doctor of our regional hospital will have a satellite facility. This is being done by the private sector.
38:48 The private sector, if there are clinics in malls, there are clinics outside, but if you need a hospital, you will be referred to their private hospital.
38:57 I have 87 hospitals. My plan is to build satellite centers manned by our family physicians. We will put X-ray, mammogram, all the services that are difficult.
39:12 I want the poor Filipinos, 28 poorest Filipinos, to be provided the same care that the people who are paying in the malls.
39:21 So the testing for hypertension, diabetes, and cancer screening can be done in that facility. That's what I will focus on in healthcare.
39:33 As president, I want to build more specialty hospitals, heart center, cancer center, children's center. We are also focused on that and we are being funded.
39:44 Our fund is increasing, Malu, which is providing the DBM. I'm the third one, education, DPWH, and health.
39:53 But you're right, we still lack because there are many Filipinos and many diseases that we are addressing.
40:01 All right. Thank you very much. We will continue to monitor these cases. Thank you for the information campaign that you are launching.
40:09 I hope more people will know about it to be protected.
40:13 [Music]
40:25 (bubble popping)