Nov 112017
 

MANILA – Ad Interim Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has expressed support for the use of medical cannabis in the country, provided it is under strict regulation.

“It is supposed to be for compassionate use, so there must be a very narrow applicability and must be strictly regulated,” Duque said Monday.

He said the Department of Health (DOH) is closely working with lawmakers regarding the technical aspects of House of Representatives Bill (HB) No. 180 or the proposed Philippine Compassionate Medical Cannabis Act to prevent the abuse of medical marijuana.

“There are continuing consultations where we provide them our technical positions in order to ensure that the final version of the law will be clear and acceptable,” said Duque.

He noted that the DOH would have to make sure that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is fully capable of implementing the law once it is passed.

“If it gets approved, the FDA must really do its mandate well, in terms of adhering to the standards of quality, safety, and efficacy, coupled with compliance with all its rules and regulations,” said the health chief.

HB 180 was unanimously approved by the House committee on health last month after consulting patients, advocacy groups, health care practitioners, and experts in the regulation of controlled substances for medical use.

Under the bill, the use of marijuana to treat debilitating medical conditions would be allowed only for medication purposes.

Proponents of medical cannabis have said that medical anecdotes show that marijuana is capable of easing epileptic seizures, cancer, multiple sclerosis, pain, and glaucoma.

They are advocating the use of the whole plant to be processed into pharmaceutical grade medical cannabis in finished dosage form, such as cannabis oil extract, tincture, suppositories, capsules, pills, spray, and topicals. (PNA)

Jun 242017
 
23 refugees die from illnesses in Marawi

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte comforts one of the evacuees from Marawi City during his visit Tuesday (June 20, 2017) at the Iligan City National School of Fisheries where 229 displaced families have taken shelter. (MNS photo) LEGAZPI CITY, June 15 – Some 23 refugees from strife-torn Marawi City have died due to various illnesses, of whom 19 died inside designated evacuation camps while the remaining 4 died outside the camps, Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial said here on Thursday. She emphasized that the victims died not because they were hit by bullets and bombs during the crisis but because of sickness. “The four evacuees staying outside the evacuation centers died of dehydration,” said Ubial who arrived in this city today for the 7th ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Dengue Day celebration. She said during the press conference at Daguinsin Hall at the Department of Health-Bicol (DOH-5) office in this city that the 19 death cases at the evacuation centers were of people who were already suffering from illnesses when they were brought to the various camps. Ubial said some of the evacuees suffering from kidney disease are undergoing dialysis while the others who had died of cancer and heart ailments were able to undergo treatment at a government hospital. Ubial said DOH set up 68 evacuation centers for the 20,627 persons or 4,249 families who fled Marawi City. She said the centers were established in Iligan City, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Oriental, particularly in Cagayan De Oro City, and Read More …

Apr 182014
 
DOH chief: No official results yet on MERS virus test conducted on OFW

Health Secretary Enrique Ona on Friday denied reports that the overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who was earlier diagnosed as having the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus is now negative for the virus. In a phone interview, Ona said the official results of the tests conducted by the DOH on the Filipino male nurse from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has not yet been released. “Wala pa pong official results. I hope it is [negative]. Hinihintay pa po natin. Siguro by tomorrow, or later tonight, ine-expect natin ang results,” Ona said Friday. Earlier in the day, various news outlets quoted a supposed Department of Health (DOH) statement as saying that the OFW earlier tested positive for the MERS coronavirus no longer has the virus. Ona said the DOH has not issued any such statements. “Narinig ko nga lang ‘yung balita. Huwag muna kayong maglabas kasi mali iyon,” the DOH chief said. On Wednesday, the DOH confirmed that the Filipino male nurse from UAE as the first reported case of the MERS virus in the Philippines. The OFW underwent laboratory exams in UAE after being exposed to the Filipino paramedic who died from MERS last week, but immediately left for Manila. The DOH decided to quarantine the OFW and test him every five days to see if he still has the virus. The MERS coronavirus has a 10- to 14-day incubation period. On Thursday, the department requested all passengers of an Etihad flight which brought the OFW from the UAE to Read More …

Apr 172014
 
DOH wants all Etihad EY 0424 passengers tested for MERS virus

All passengers of an Etihad flight that arrived in Manila on April 15 must immediately contact The Department of Health because it was the same carrier taken by a Filipino male nurse, who was diagnosed as having the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus, to fly back to the Philippines.   “To rule out the possibility that they may have been similarly exposed to the MCV, the DOH is directing all those who traveled with this worker on Etihad Flight Number EY 0424 that arrived at the NAIA on 15 April, to call up DOH,” the department said in a press statement.   The DOH is now conducting an intensive search for people who may have had possible contact with the male nurse.   Passengers may call the DOH through telephone numbers 711-1001; 711-1002; 0922-884-1564; 0920-949-8419; 0915-772-5621.   Following the death of a Malaysian national on April 13, who went on a pilgrimage to Mecca, DOH spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag said Filipinos who traveled to Mecca for umrah should also report any illness when they return to the Philippines.   The Malaysian national is said to be the first MERS-related death in Asia and outside the Middle East.   A report by The Star said the man developed respiratory complications after returning from Mecca.   First reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, MERS is a novel virus often referred to as the Middle East version of the severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS. Signs of MERS may constitute Read More …

Jan 152014
 
DOH to DOF: Remove UP-PGH as sin tax beneficiary

The Department of Health-National Capital Region (DOH-NCR) together with the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) conduct joint anti-dengue spraying, disinfection and clean-up of the JAC Liner bus terminal along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Quezon City on Friday morning (July 12, 2013). (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – If Health Secretary Enrique Ona would have his way, the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) will not benefit from the incremental revenues to be generated by the Sin Tax Law. In his comments to the draft implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the law, Ona does not want UP-PGH, which was among those who actively participated in the congressional deliberation, to have any part in the implementation of the measure. Revenues collected from the Sin Tax Law will directly go to the Department of Health. The IRR specifies that DOH give UP-PGH some of the funds as a research center and by participating in decisions on human resources issues among health personnel. But in his letter to Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima dated 26 December 2013, Ona asked to “delete the last sentence of the Rule III of Sec. 5 of the IRR which specifies UP-PGH as the premiere national university hospital that DOH should primarily engage for research to support universal health care.” Ona said that “even before the passage of Republic Act 10532, the DOH had already established a ‘research reference hub’ under Department Order No. 2012-0197.” “The said DO itself does not prescribe a sole supplier to conduct Read More …

Jan 032014
 
DOH: Number of revelry-related injuries nears 1k, 5% increase noted

The number of injuries related to the recent holiday revelry inched closer to 1,000 as of Saturday morning, the Department of Health said. National Epidemiology Center head Dr. Enrique Tayag said that as of 6 a.m., there were at least 962 revelry-related injuries recorded. Of these, 943 were fireworks-related, while two were caused by fireworks ingestion. At least 17 were due to stray bullets, he said on his Twitter account. He added that of the 943 fireworks-related injuries, 359 or 38 percent were due to piccolo. In the same period in 2012, Tayag said there were 929 revelry-related injuries, including 902 from fireworks and two from fireworks ingestion. Tayag also noted that in the same period in 2012, there were 25 injuries from stray bullets. The DOH will continue its tally of revelry-related injuries until Sunday. — LBG, GMA News

Jan 022014
 
Efforts being made to address problem on unburied Yolanda victims – Palace

The government is doubling its efforts to address the problem on unburied victims of Typhoon Yolanda, which is said to be numbering about 1,400, a Malacañang official said Thursday. At a press briefing, Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. quoted Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery Sec. Panfilo Lacson as saying that national government agencies are “working closely” with the Tacloban City government to “speed up” the burial of the bodies. Lacson specifically said the Department of Health has already sent 1,500 body bags and protective kits for personnel in charge of the burial. On the other hand, the Department of Public Works and Highways has sent additional backhoes and payloaders while the National Bureau of Investigation has redeployed its forensic team on the ground. “So ginagawa na po ito sa pamamagitan ng puspusang pagtutulungan ng DOH, NBI, DPWH at kanilang pakikipag-ugnayan sa Tacloban City government,” said Coloma. Agence France-Presse earlier reported that about 1,400 rotting corpses in black body bags are laying on a muddy open field in Tacloban in Leyte province, more than a month after super typhoon Yolanda hit central Philippines on Nov. 8. Coloma said there was a delay in their burial because of problems in the procedure in identifying the bodies. He explained it was taking longer because they were following the INTERPOL way of identifying cadavers, which he said was designed for victims of crimes and therefore takes longer. “So they threshed it out… kung paano makakapag-comply doon and at the same time Read More …

Dec 272013
 
DOH exec asks lawmakers to review firecrackers law

As the number of firecracker-related injuries continues to rise during the holiday season, a health official on Friday asked lawmakers to review the law regulating sale, manufacture, distribution and use of fireworks and other pyrotechnic devices. “We realized the existing laws do not allow local governments, even the country to ban fireworks. This is for our legislators to consider. DOH (Department of Health) will give them evidence whether… it is time to completely ban (firecrackers),” Dr. Eric Tayag said in an interview on GMA News TV’s “News To Go” on Friday. He was referring to Republic Act 7183, which was enacted in 1991. Also, he said that while there is a ban in some local government units, residents still find ways to use firecrackers. “Sa Davao completely banned (ang firecrackers) pero meron pa ring injury nung pinulot nung isang 13-taong lalaki ang piccolo,” said Tayag. “Human behavior kasi dictates na talagang dumidiskarte. Yung listahan na inilabas namin to guide consumers, yun ang ginamit ng mga nagbebenta sa mga ilalabas lang nilang produkto. Pero ‘pag binulungan mo, ibibigay sa’yo yung ilegal na paputok na nakatago lang,” he added. He noted that because of the government’s campaign against firecrackers, there is now a lower number of injuries. “Over the years nakita namin na because of the campaign, because of the law, malaki ang ibinawas. Sa ngayon nagpa-plateau na siya, ang natitirang option is to completely ban them, yun ang extreme measure na tinatawag natin,” he said. The number of injures recorded in Read More …

Dec 232013
 
Nine-year-old, latest victim of illegal 'piccolo' firecracker

The inevitable rise in the number of firecracker-related casualties during the Christmas-New Year holidays has started, with the Health Department recording a nine-year-old boy as the latest injured. Jeric Paul Suarez from Tondo, Manila, was the seventh victim of the firecracker known as “piccolo” since December 21, according to DOH records. “Hindi na po [ako magpapaputok]. Delikado,” Suarez said timidly in a report on GMA 7’s “24 Oras”. The DOH has so far recorded 13 cases of firecracker-related injuries, an increase from the nine cases recorded in the same period last year. Also, according to the DOH’s records, 27 percent of all firecracker-related injuries in 2012 came from piccolos. Despite its dangerous record, it remains popular being the firecracker of choice in the face of a general decrease in the use of fireworks in the country. Health Undersecretary Eric Tayag hopes that the recent spate of natural disasters – typhoon Yolanda, the Cebu-Bohol earthquake – will discourage people from spending on fireworks. “Dahil dun sa sunod-sunod na unos natin, maraming nagsabi na parang toned down ang pag-celebrate natin ng pasko. Subalit nagkaroon ng parang turning point nitong weekend. Sumigla ang pamimili ng mga tao,” said a dismayed Tayag. The undersecretary is thus fully supportive of Davao City’s anti-fireworks policy, which bans both legal and illegal fireworks. “Mga ilegal katulad ng piccolo, fly-by-night, ‘di maganda ang kaledad, malamang sa hindi, disgrasya resulta niyan,” said Tayag. — Rie Takumi/DVM, GMA News

Dec 072013
 
Bohol tourism not quite recovered 6 weeks after deadly quake

Residents walk past a destroyed church belfry in Tubigon, Bohol , a day after an earthquake hit central Philippines October 16, 2013. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The 7.2 magnitude earthquake leveled many of Bohol’s old churches, including the HolyTrinityChurch in Loay town. Reuters Six weeks after a deadly magnitude-7.2 quake jarred Central Visayas, tourism in Bohol province has yet to fully recover. And after Typhoon Yolanda swept through the province, snatching more homes and livelihoods, and causing more power outages, it seems like a case of taking one step forward and three steps back. Department of Tourism Central Visayas regional director Rowena Montecillo said there are still trip cancellations by tourists, state-run Philippine Information Agency said. PIA quoted Montecillo as saying there are “trip cancellations of tourists coming to Bohol.” She also appealed to tourists “not to cancel their trips, but only to postpone” them. Still, she said Bohol tourism is “still up.” Indeed, there are still a few tourists who decided to push through with their vacation on Panglao beach, but the current numbers are a far cry from the tourism glory of pre-earthquake days mere weeks ago. The PIA added the DOT disseminates information on which accredited tour facilities are operating after the quake. Bohol and several neighboring areas in Central Visayas were devastated by the magnitude-7.2 quake last Oct. 15. Among the affected tourist attractions were the world-renowned Chocolate Hills and several churches on the waiting list of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Livelihoods have been affected Read More …