Legal, medical groups to COVID-19 patients, PUIs: Be transparent with medical condition

MANILA, Philippines — The Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the Philippine Medical Association and the Philippine College of Surgeons have appealed to coronavirus disease 2019  (COVID-19) patients or persons under investigation (PUIs)  to voluntarily waive the confidentiality of their medical condition and inform those they have been in close contact with.

In a statement, the groups said there has been an increasing incidents of COVID-19 patients seeking treatment or admission in hospitals/ clinics without divulging their true medical conditions, jeopardizing the health of  the healthcare personnel.

“Being diagnosed as COVID-19 is not a sin, crime or a stigma. But it is inequitable and counter-productive for COVID-19 patients or PUIs to conceal their true condition,” the groups said.

The groups added that the patients can turn their tragedy into heroism “by their honesty and voluntary waiver of confidentiality of their medical condition for the greater good.”

They also warned that non-cooperation in times of public emergency is illegal, based on RA 1132 (Surveillance and Response to Notifiable Diseases, Epidemics, and Health Events of Public Health Concern).

Justice Sec. Menardo Guevarra, meanwhile, supported the call of the medical and legal groups.

“This will enable other people they have been in close contact with to take the necessary precautions or remedial measures to protect themselves, without having to further burden the Department of Health with the tedious task of contact tracing,” he said.

The Philippine Medical Association and the Data Privacy Act Commission provide the ethical and legal basis for this action in times of public health emergency, and the Department of Justice affirms its validity, he said.

As of Saturday, there are 3,094 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, with 144 deaths and 57 recoveries.

GSG