Philippine Congress Commission confirms nomination of health secretary

MANILA, Feb. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) approved on Wednesday the nomination of Francisco Duque as health secretary.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Duque in October last year after the commission rejected the appointment of then acting Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial.

Philippine presidential spokesperson Harry Roque made a statement to welcome the confirmation of the appointment.

"We are confident that Secretary Duque would be able to deliver better health programs and services as the Department of Health (DOH) once again aims to regain the trust of our people through integrity, professionalism and good governance," said Roque.

Duque first served as health secretary during the administration of then President Gloria Arroyo from 2005 to 2010.

Before his appointment by Duterte to the DOH, Duque was named the chairman of the Government Service Insurance System.

Duque finished medicine at the University of Santo Tomas and later took up a master degree in pathology at Georgetown University in Washington DC, the United States.

Duque's re-entry in the DOH came as the health department "struggles" to regain its credibility amid the controversy surrounding the Dengvaxia dengue immunization program.

The Philippines has decided to suspend its dengue immunization program for public school students for potential risks.

It is revealed that the Dengvaxia vaccine, produced by French drugmaker Sanofi Pasteur, may cause a severe case of dengue infection if applied to a person who had not been previously infected with the mosquito-borne disease.

Duque said the immunization campaign of DOH has suffered because of the Dengvaxia controversy.

"It's a tall order. It's a struggle, I would be the first to admit -- to rebuild the morale of our ailing organization. But as doctors, we are prepared to deal with it," Duque told the commission. Enditem