‘Physician heal thyself’

President Duterte should look into claims that verbal instructions have been given to withdraw use of the Dengue Vaccine with the DOH amounting to P500 million that is intended for use for 500,000 public school students in Dengue danger zones. DOH officials are at odds because there is nothing official in writing. In the mean time there is a very real risk of the vaccines becoming spoiled or expired due to poor handling and improper storage. If true, is this sheer stupidity or intent to sabotage the vaccines?

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“ If you’re Brother or Sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen, you have won them over. — Matthew 18: 15 ”

For many years now, I have been training executives, civil servants and students on correct communication in the workplace through media, both traditional and social. One of the first lessons I teach my “students” is: If you have a problem go straight to the source.

In terms of media and public issues, it is often about who gets their story out first. Hesitate or opt to be silent you may but once the issue or topic reaches media, you can bet your inheritance that the opposite side, your critics, or your competitors will jump at the chance to send out their version of events before you do. Your enemies are not morally bound to honor your silence.

In the last two CTalk columns, I wrote about the concerted effort of certain physicians and non-physicians to delay, block or undermine the vaccination program against Dengue. I simply picked up on the story because my wife once caught Dengue, our caretaker’s kids have had Dengue, one bed ridden for a year, and a friend in church who’s a little older than me also died from Dengue. If anything, it was one of those “divinely led” articles in the interest of public health. After the first column, I got calls, greetings, emails and social media material praising the article as well as providing added information.

Given that my interest in the matter was borne from bad experiences with dengue, I chose not to name names or cite very specific information about the parties involved, even information provided after the columns came out. I’ve also refrained from mentioning companies or product brands lest I give them unnecessary exposure or risk from being mentioned. In other words, I focused on the dengue vaccine.

Lo and behold, one of the unnamed characters in my earlier column – who knows me personally recently posted a message on Social Media referring to me, saying: “I know him personally as a Media person.  Sorry but he’s a Mercenary.”

In terms of media, communication, and relations, I find this tragic because here is a “person known to me,” who never reached out, shared information or reacted by calling, texting or sending me a private message on Viber or Facebook. Thousands of government officials and civil servants lament the fact that they don’t have easy access to media or don’t know anyone in media, yet here is someone who knows me and accuses me of being a “MERCENARY.”

If I were an actual “Mercenary” Mr. Person-Known-To-Me would have been named, his character assassinated, I could have fed him to the dogs simply by quoting things he reportedly said about how big pharma operates and corrupts medical sales people and physicians through incentives and travel. When I wrote the article I did not even know the brand or manufacturer of the vaccine for dengue. Call me stupid, but the article was a personal opinion piece not a puff job.

The second lesson, Mr. Person-Known-To-Me will now realize is that there was truth to what I said: he has as many friends as he has critics and now one of them sold him down the path of mental torture by sharing his statement about me. His friends are obviously concerned that the growing controversy over dengue vaccines might spill over and drag their “College of Physicians” into a public mud slinging fight. Imagine how ugly it could get if someone decides to see a lawyer to consult about cyber-libel, slander or simply shared the very same “message” to many members of media, especially after Mr. Person -Known-To-Me stated that my article was: “It’s a black media operation. News blackout.”

I guess I will have to send him an SMS of the 8th commandment that says: “ You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.” It is not the media’s fault if Congress and the Senate made a public spectacle of the illegal drug trade and the Philippine version of the movie “the Bodyguard”. Ironically, Mr. Person-Known-To-Me publicly admits he worked with one of the biggest Pharmas, so unless he is suffering from selective amnesia, he should know that big pharmaceutical companies live in perpetual fear and paranoia of a 3 inch thick binder containing the detailed guidelines of the Anti-Corrupt Practices Act that is the Bible of US and European companies.

That binder of ethical guidelines contains among others legal limits on how much you can spend per plate per person while dining. It prohibits tours to non-research, non-medical related destinations or facilities that may be construed as “Junket.” It prohibits sponsorship or support of non-medical related events such as golf tournaments etc. He should know that if any allegations are made official as in a Congressional hearing, external legal parties will be calling upon the officers, consultants or business associates linked or mentioned and classify them as “under investigation.” Is this the intention of getting Congress to investigate?

Finally, calling people names is the equivalent of saying “No Comment” which is equivalent to telling the media that maybe you’re hiding something. Everything I’ve said is public but unlike Mr. Person-Known-To-Me, I did not name him or accuse him of wrongdoing. I did state he was not a competent party to comment on the dengue vaccine because it was not his expertise. Don’t call people what they are not and don’t try to be something or someone you are not. Either fix the problem by healing yourself or be ready to live with the problems you bring upon yourself.