Benefits outweigh gov’t costs in testing asymptomatic persons – solon

MANILA, Philippines — The benefits of testing all asymptomatic persons amid the coronavirus pandemic outweighs the amount that the government has to spend for the measure, a lawmaker explained Wednesday.

During the online hearing of the House of Representatives’ Defeat COVID-19 Committee’s (DCC) Health and COVID-19 Response Cluster, DOH Undersecretary Lilibeth David said that baseline testing using PCR among all asymptomatic vulnerable population may not be cost-effective for now.

David was among the resource persons invited to deliberate on House Bill No. 6707 which pushes for a baseline PCR testing for “vulnerable members of society”, including “vulnerable asymptomatics.”

But Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo, an economist, explained that cost-benefit analysis is a “broad concept” and is not simply about the budget.

“It refers to societal benefit. Kasama po dyan yung cost of averting huge economic cost as a result of the lockdown. Number 2, it’s never just about the purchase price of the kits. And number 3, it’s never about the budget,” Quimbo said.

“A cost-benefit analysis informs a budget decision but a budget itself is never a parameter in a cost-benefit analysis. In other words, if there is an activity like mass testing which is not very costly but the benefits are huge then you find the budget for that… So it never an excuse to say walang budget, therefore, we will not do it,” she added.

Quimbo explained that due to the lockdown imposed as part of health protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic, the country is losing a “tremendous cost” of P18 billion per day.

“Ipagpalagay na natin na 30 percent [ang asymptomatic incidence sa Pilipinas]. The cost of not doing mass testing is having 30 percent asymptomatics not known,” Quimbo said.

“In other words, palakad-lakad ang 30 percent na yan, umuubo-ubo at nagpapsa-pasa ng droplets. Nakakahawa,” she added.

Quimbo said that the cost of the tests—which would allow the government to identify coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients even if they are asymptomatic—would only cost around P9 billion compared to the P18 billion that the government is losing each day due to the lockdown.

“That’s what you should be comparing in your cost-effectiveness. Anong mas gusto mo? 30 percent unknown [cases] or 27 percent known? Hindi ba [automatic] yun?” Quimbo said.

“Whoever your experts are, can you please pass on my notes to them,” the lawmaker added.

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate also said that the health department’s reasoning is “not acceptable.”

“Hindi katanggap-tanggap sa atin na sasabihin lang ng mga ahensya ng gobyerno na hindi cost-effective na magkaroon talaga ng massive testing including those who are considered asymptomatic,” Zarate said during the House minority bloc’s online presser.

“Hindi usapin ng pondo ito. Dahil kung pondo lang, alam natin na may pagkukunan ng pondo ang pamahalaan kung i-prioritize niya ang pag-test nang maramihan,” he added.

Not about budget

DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, however, clarified that the issue is not about the budget but rather with the capacity of the system.

Vergeire said that laboratories in the country are “choking” because of the surge in the number of tests being done.

“We have our hospitals that are waiting for the lab results of their patients for 10 to 14 days. We have our communities waiting also for the result of these laboratories that were done among their constituents for a number of days already,” Vergeire said.

“Ang sinasabi lang po namin, tayo po ay nagpa-prioritize para akma tayo doon sa kapasidad ng sistema natin,” she added.

Vergeire said that while the proposed bill is good, she hopes that the capacity of the health system would be improved for the government to accommodate such testing requirements.

“Kami rin po sa kagawaran ay gusto namin ang ganitong klase na ma-test natin na mas marami but based from our capacity right now, ito po yung Sting realidad,” Vergeire said.

The health department also said that asymptomatic persons who were exposed to COVID-19-positive persons should be subjected to testing.

/MUF