COVID patients who refuse to give info face penalties

MANILA, Philippines — Individuals infected with or suspected of having contracted coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) will face sanctions if they refuse to provide relevant personal information to health authorities, officials warned yesterday.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Republic Act No. 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and the Health Events of Public Health Concern Act impose penalties on patients who do not provide accurate information about their condition.

“If a patient does not share information, he would be in trouble because that’s what the law states. Because this is really a public health concern, we are in a state of calamity so patients cannot lie and engage in misinformation,” Nograles said at a press briefing.

“That law served as the basis of President Duterte’s declaration of a public health emergency. Violators of the act will face charges,” he added.

Violators shall be penalized with a fine ranging from P20,000 to P50,000 or imprisonment of not less than one month but not more than six months, or both, depending on the decision of the court.

The Professional Regulation Commission is also authorized to suspend or revoke the license of any medical professional who violates the law. The Civil Service Commission may also suspend or revoke the civil service eligibility of violators if they work for the government.

On Sunday, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Emerging Infectious Diseases announced that it is now requiring the disclosure of personal information of patients afflicted with COVID-19 to strengthen its contact tracing efforts. The Office of Civil Defense has been tasked to lead the contact tracing.

Nograles clarified that the information to be provided by patients would be used to help authorities craft policies and would not be for public consumption.

“We are not telling the patient to disclose to the public; we are telling to the patient to disclose to DOH (Department of Health) all accurate and honest information. DOH will be the repository and safekeeper of information,” he said.  – With Delon Porcalla, Paolo Romero