Health Secretary Francisco Duque III.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / EDWIN BACASMAS
MANILA, Philippines — Doctors who administer drugs or vaccines without prior approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will risk losing their medical license, the Department of Health (DOH) has warned.
“We will investigate the illegal administration of unauthorized smuggled vaccines, specifically doctors and other medical professionals who administer them,” Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said in a joint statement with the FDA on Thursday.
“We will have their medical licenses revoked. We doctors have an oath. Do no harm. In a pandemic, we need to be more circumspect,” he added.
The health chief said that administering such drugs and vaccines will only “make the situation worse” for frontliners who have been struggling with the cases of COVID-19.
“The risks cannot be denied and may even prove fatal to some,” Duque said.
Duque also said that the DOH and FDA have heard of rumors that some lawmakers are meeting with doctors or medical professionals in “posh hotels for coffee” and then going up in one of the rooms to inoculate the COVID-19 vaccine.
“I’m not buying the explanation that the doctors administering the shots are being pressured by lawmakers. Someone is peddling the service and it is unacceptable,” the health chief said.
Meanwhile, FDA director-general Eric Domingo said that his agency and the DOH are closely monitoring with the Bureau of Customs to prevent the entry of the unauthorized COVID-19 vaccine.
“We have sent our enforcement unit to the field and we are awaiting the report. We are fully committed to monitoring this,” Domingo said.
Previously, Presidential Security Group (PSG) commander Brig. Gen. Jesus Durante III confirmed that a number of President Rodrigo Duterte’s security detail received the COVID-19 shots despite no vaccine has been approved by the FDA yet.
Durante added that PSG members themselves administered the COVID-19 vaccine, without the help of a medical professional.