The president of the Bohol Medical Society (BMS) is saying that the role of the doctors as medical advisers was reduced but not “in a big way” upon the entry of the Provincial Emergency Management Administration (PEMA) as the chief body for the province’s response to the Covid pandemic.
The doctors who are members of the Technical Working Group (TWG) no longer had an active participation when PEMA was at the helm. Dr. Jefferson Ong said this in a radio interview on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, over “Open Forum” hosted by Ardy Araneta Batoy and Dave Albarado.
“With PEMA, we (doctors) are just a small part of the PEMA organization. At the start, the TWG, including the medical technical team was like central to the policy making, crafting of the various protocols and guidelines for Covid and any eventualities including the quarantine and everything,” Ong said.
Moreover, he said, “However, pag later on na, siguro they saw na siguro na they needed a bigger organization, the province came up with PEMA. So as far as policy making (is concerned), as far as the steering (is concerned), murag na minus minusan ang role bali kanang TWG when PEMA came in.”
He continued, “Sa amoang side, maam, we didn’t even know that PEMA is no longer there and then na replaced ni sya with the Bohol IATF (Inter Agency Task Force). So I don’t know wala nako kwan kon unsay name sa ilang mga organizations. Ang importante ra ang amoang roles.”
Ong believes that perhaps the province can manage the health situation on its own after the doctors were able to produce a handbook on how to handle the medical aspects of the Covid response.
“I don’t think they (the provincial government) will still need us (doctors) in the coming weeks, if they encounter something medical and they need to be guided on the execution or a new set of guidelines. So far, wala man ingon na na apektaran in a big way ang amoang role.”
According to Provincial Administrator Kathyrin Pioquinto, in a radio interview last June 1, 2020, also in Open Forum, the PEMA is being set aside and will be reactivated once there is another emergency in the province. The Covid response, Pioquinto said, is no longer being considered as an emergency.