MANILA - Seventeen doctors on Monday lodged a complaint with the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), seeking the revocation of the certificate of registration as a physician of Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson for sectoral concerns, for her repeated red-tagging of health workers.


In their complaint to the PRC, the health professionals said Badoy violated the code of conduct and ethical standards of the medical profession after she linked them to the communist armed movement.


“Her behavior of red-tagging and vilifying groups and individuals runs counter to the oaths that she took when she entered the medical profession and assumed the position of Communications Undersecretary,” Atty. Jin Arabejo of the Movement Against Disinformation said.

“The main tenet of the medical profession is the Hippocratic Oath, which requires of any physician to ‘do no harm.’ The way she has contributed to the culture of impunity, fear and intimidation has done nothing but run counter to this most fundamental truth,” he added.

The group criticized Badoy, saying her accusations are wrong and unethical.

“Bilang nurses at doctors, mga manggagamot pangkalusugan, nasa puso namin ang pagtulong sa lahat ng Pilipino, lalo na ang nangangailangan at mahihirap. Talaga namang may giyera sa Pilipinas. That’s their reason for being; they want to end local communist movement, pero kung may nagkakasakit, hindi mo ‘yan tatanggihan,” said Dr. Eleanor Jara, Executive Director of the Council for Health and Development.

She went on, “As a doctor, you have to treat everybody equally. Ayaw natin ng red-tagging, lalo coming from a doctor herself. Kaya kami nagagalit at nagsampa ng kaso ay dahil she is a bad example of what a doctor should be.”

Dr. Edelina dela Paz, chairperson of the Health Alliance for Democracy, said red-tagging has discouraged medical professionals from serving the marginalized, thus depriving poor Filipinos of access to quality health services.

“She has been vilifying members of the health sector. Nirered-tag niya, such that many of our doctors who used to be working in community health programs, natatakot nang lumabas dahil sa ganung fear na pagrered-tag niya na kami ay terorista,” Dela Paz said.

She then continued, “Si Dr. Naty Castro, recently, hinuli siya sa walang dahilan, dahil din ‘yun sa red-tagging. She’s a community-based health physician in areas in Northern Mindanao that do not have doctors. Anong effect niyan? She was forced to leave the area because of the fear for her life.”

“Anong epekto sa doctors, lalo sa medical students na iniencourage namin na magsilbi sa far-flung communities na kulang ang doctor? Eh ‘yan ang ginagawa sa mga doctor na nagsisilbi,” the doctor added.


Dela Paz also said that Badoy’s statements discredited the important role and contribution of health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Kaya ito tumindi sa panahon ng COVID. Nakita natin maraming doctor ang sumagot doon sa pandemya na naapektuhan. Marami ang namatay dahil kulang ang PPEs, kulang ang pagbibigay ng tamang advice kung ano ang dapat gawin, kulang ang pagpapatupad sa health protocols, bagkus naging militaristic ang approach,” Dela Paz noted.

“Kami sinabi talaga namin na COVID response should be humane, comprehensive and addressing health needs, not approached as a military intervention, which was what IATF was doing. Nung nag-raise kami ng ganitong issues, sinabihan ng 'anti-government, siguro komunista o terorista kayo.' Bakit tina-tag kaagad ang panawagan na magbigay ng tamang serbisyo sa mamamayan sa panahon ng COVID?” she added.

The group said they will not stop until Badoy loses her license.

“Kung matatanggalan siya ng lisensya, that’s a victory and a vindication for the efforts that our doctors and health workers have been doing to provide service, even at the expense of their own lives,” Dela Paz said.

This is the second complaint to be filed in the PRC against Badoy after the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) filed a similar complaint in April this year.

"It was explained to us that the case will be assigned to a hearing committee, which will evaluate, so there will be fact-checking also and the basis for the red-tagging will be clarified,” Atty. Amy Dio of the Movement Against Disinformation explained. “The doctors will be given an opportunity to explain the red-tagging that happened and the behavior being questioned as the basis for the revocation of her license."

ABS-CBN News sought comment from Badoy but she has yet to respond as of this writing.


RELATED VIDEO

Watch more News on iWantTFC