Senator Pia S. Cayetano sponsors the bill establishing the Philippine Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) on Monday, February 13, 2023. Photo courtesy of Pia Cayetano鈥檚 office
MANILA, Philippines 鈥� The Research Institute of Tropical Medicine (RITM) 鈥渨ill still be a whole body鈥� under the proposed Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC).
Senator Pia Cayetano said this as she sponsored Senate Bill No. 1869, under Committee Report No. 28, which seeks to establish the CDC, during Monday鈥檚 plenary session.
Initially, proposals indicate that RITM鈥檚 functions should be dispersed under the CDC bill.
READ: Health workers decry RITM鈥檚 鈥榠mminent鈥� abolition聽
鈥淩ITM will still be a whole body, but now under the CDC. So instead of its various divisions being absorbed, RITM as a whole, I repeat, as a whole, will be under the CDC,鈥� Cayetano said.
鈥淩ITM, dear colleagues, will now be referred to as the Philippine Research Institute of Medicine. Why? Because RITM stands for Research Institute of Tropical Medicine. We have gone past that, and thus, we need to rename RITM, but given all its accomplishments, we fought very hard for them to be retained as a body,鈥� she added.
RITM will continue to perform its existing functions under Senate Bill No. 1869.
READ:
Under the measure, CDC 鈥渨ill act as the technical authority on forecasting, analysis, strategy, and standards development for the prevention and control of all diseases of public health importance and health security events, whether domestic or international in origin.鈥�
The senator pointed out that high-level scientists, among others, will join the CDC as consultants or advisers.
She also highlighted that one of the key provisions of the CDC bill is to consider exempting scientists from standard salary grades.
Cayetano, citing the Center for Global Development, stressed the importance of the CDC as there is a 47 to 57 percent chance of another pandemic.
鈥淭he COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the fragilities and gaps in healthcare systems around the world. It posed a great threat to countries with weaker health systems,鈥� she said.
鈥淒uring these three years, we realized the importance of strengthening our health care system 鈥� to protect Filipino families from existing and emerging public health emergencies that could present a threat to our 聽lives,鈥� she continued.
RELATED STORY
Senators see overlapping mandate in RITM, proposed virology institute