Many doctors have been offered the position of Health Secretary by the Marcos administration but have declined due to several factors, former Department of Health chief Janette Garin said Tuesday.
“As far as I know, the position of Secretary of Health has been offered to many qualified individuals already, but they don’t want to give up their practice,” Garin, currently a House representative for Iloilo’s first district, told ANC’s “Headstart.”
Garin also defended the appointment of former Philippine National Police chief Camilo Cascolan as DOH undersecretary on Monday, as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has yet to appoint a full-time Health Secretary four months into his term.
The Iloilo congresswoman said critics of the administration did not understand the risks involved in being appointed to the Cabinet, especially a sensitive post like the DOH.
“Give DOH a chance,” she said, noting that as someone familiar with the inner workings of the agency, it also needs managers like the ex-PNP chief and not just doctors and scientists.
Designating a military man into a health position is also not new and is common in other countries, added the former DOH secretary, who served in the Aquino III government.
“A lot are afraid (to take the job) because we could face many (court) cases. It would be a pity for our families. There are a lot of circumstances that have actually paved the way for many doctors to fear government service,” Garin added.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire is the officer-in-charge of the DOH, but as a career official, Garin said the OIC has a lot to lose should she be appointed as Health secretary.
“If she will be appointed as Secretary of Health, it goes with it (that) she’s ready to let go of government service after six years, or she’s ready to be removed anytime by the President, or she’s ready not to be confirmed by the Commission of Appointments,” the lawmaker said.
“These are situations that many people are not seeing. A lot are qualified but almost no one wants the job because of the vulnerability,” she added.
Garin’s advice to Cascolan, meanwhile, was to get advisers from specialty medical societies.
“We have a lot of technical directors and technical scientists and experts inside the Department of Health whose voices are not heard. So many of them inside are talented but their voices can’t come out,” she added.