House panels urge IATF to establish unified nat’l contact tracing protocol

GOING DIGITAL Passengers scan QR codes on their phones during the launch of a contact tracing app for MRT 3 users. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — Two committees in the House of Representatives adopted on Tuesday a resolution urging the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to establish a unified national contact tracing protocol “for a more effective health emergency data monitoring system.”

House Resolution No. 1536 filed by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco was adopted during the joint online meeting of the House committee on health and the committee on information and communications technology.

The resolution points out the need for the modification of existing contact tracing systems and the development of new user-friendly data interfaces “to manage multiple data streams with seamless interoperability.”

According to the resolution, the contact tracing protocol in the country shall include the designation of a government agency as the centralized repository of information to facilitate a faster health emergency response system.

Transmission of data from contact tracing shall also be secure while handling of data collected shall likewise be in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2021, according to the resolution.

Further, the resolution states that accredited contact tracing app providers shall also have real-time data access.

“Disparate apps and non-centralized data repository lead to redundant products, cost duplication, and less effective solutions, often due to limited data access,” the resolution states.

“Data systems should include automated reports to aid in monitoring progress and outcomes of case investigation and contact tracing,” the resolution adds.

The resolution will now be brought to the plenary for further debates.

EDV