MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) clarified it has never ordered hospitals to conceal the number of patients who have died due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country.
DOH secretary Francisco Duque III belied the allegations that a hospital based in Metro Manila was “instructed to stop counting COVID-19 deaths” as posted by GMA 7 news anchor Arnold Clavio on his social media account on Saturday.
“We would like to clarify that DOH has never issued any order to stop the census or reporting of deaths, or any case related to COVID-19 to any health facility,” Duque said in a statement.
Duque added all hospitals and health facilities are mandated to report on admissions and other updates regarding COVID-19 but vowed to still look on the allegations.
The DOOH chief also said the DOH is closely coordinating with the Department of the Interior and Local Government, as well as local government units to ensure that guidelines are followed.
“Pasig City and Quezon City have already designated crematoriums to address this matter, we encourage other local government units to do the same,” he said. “The DOH urged the public to exercise discretion when sharing information and to verify first through DOH’s official channels and legitimate sources.”
The COVID-19 death toll in the country has risen to 247 after the DOH confirmed on Saturday that 26 more people have succumbed to the viral disease. There are now 4,428 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country, while 157 have recovered./PN
