MANILA — Dr. Teodoro "Ted" Herbosa took his oath Tuesday as secretary of the Department of Health.

He was sworn into office before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. at the Malacañan Palace.

"The DOH family welcomes this development, as this is crucial in the Department's operations. With this transition, the DOH ensures that the healthcare services will remain unhampered," the agency said in a statement.

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Herbosa served as a DOH undersecretary from 2010 to 2015 and was the regional director of the department's National Capital Region office. He was also a special adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19 during the height of the pandemic.

Prior to his appointment, Herbosa was also a professor at the College of Medicine in the University of the Philippines Manila, and served as UP System's executive vice president from 2017 to 2021.

Herbosa's appointment as health secretary came after almost a year that the post had been vacant since Marcos assumed the presidency.

In the absence of a DOH secretary, Maria Rosario Vergeire had been leading the department as its officer-in-charge. Calls to appoint Vergeire were previously made, with Vergeire herself saying she was ready to take on the post.

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