BMS opposes Oplan Exodus,

Claims ill-timed, ill advised

TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, April 17, (PIA)—If Oplan Exodus: a plan to bring back Boholanos who have been stranded in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) hot zones and elsewhere in the world to Bohol, were to be done in the next few weeks, expect the doctors, some of them front-lining in the fight against the dreaded disease, to oppose.

The premise for the opposition by the Bohol Medical Society (BMS), a respectable group of physicians in Bohol however, is that they are aware of the plan to repatriate [our fellow] Boholanos within the next few weeks. 

The BMS in their open letter addressed to Governor Arthur Yap dated April 15, the BMS through their president Dr. Jefferson Ong declared, “Bohol is not adequately prepared for a full-blown outbreak of COVID which is something we have to expect when allowing people from hot zones such as the National Capital Region and Cebu to come to the province.”

On this, the group of physicians led by Dr. Ong said the availability of testing in our locality is limited.

Over this, Capitol has reported that it has enhanced the capacity of its 10 hospitals to do testing for influenza-like-illnesses, while protective personnel equipment have been delivered to the 10-province-run hospitals.

This too as Capitol, in separate reports said that over 1,000 testing kits have arrived from the Department of health, to facilitate the mass testing.

However, the DOH has sent the rapid antibody diagnostic tests, one which has medical professionals claiming unreliability, as attested by what the BMS also claimed as recent international data.

Even the DOH in their website has said the more reliable COVID testing assay is the more clinical and laboratory based real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT -PCR) test, of which, Gov Celestino Gallares Hospital laboratory is currently applying, and is on level 2, for accreditation from the Regional Institute for Tropical Medicine and the World Health Organization.   

Over the rapid antibody testing that would be done in 10 province-run hospitals, BMS worry that it could give Bohol a complete sense of security, where the results might not be that accurate.

If a rapid antibody diagnostic test patient tests negative in the screening due to unreliable test method, he could actually spread the virus unknowingly, a physician explained the danger.

During a meeting with the mayors and Bohol Medical Technical Team of the COVID-19 TWG, the governor shared Oplan Exodus, to bring back offshore Boholanos home.

Governor Yap has also called Boholanos to set up and allocate at least one isolation room for every household and for barangays to open up a quarantine area that could accommodate at least 5 percent of the barangay population.

As of the latest report, Bohol has already set up 1,168 total barangay isolation centers.

The setting up of these isolation centers have raised alarms and red flags that people gradually connected the dots to Oplan Exodus, which they said is not just planned, but already in motion.

In a press briefing Thursday, Gov Yap insists, Oplan Exodus is just a plan and has not been rolling yet, although, in due time, Bohol will come to that.

BMS has also asked the governor to learn from other places that have relaxed their quarantine measures too soon and how they have suffered so much loss of lives.

“This is something we do not want to happen here, while we have this chance to be free of this epidemic for longer,” the open letter said.

In summary, BMS hopes that Bohol considers its position as the association of physicians in Bohol, citing that COVID pandemic is a medical problem. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)

FRONTLINING FOR COVID. A barangay Health Worker in Salvador Cortes makes her daily rounds to households in the village, monitoring families for cases of colds, coughs or fever, as a first line of defense should a person exhibit symptoms of coronavirus disease. While barangays have worked to make sure Bohol remains covid-free, frontliners who have not been oriented of Oplan Exodus have been asking a lot of questions. (rahchiu/PIA-7/Bohol)