SEVERAL youth groups denounced the Department of Health for the alleged deficiencies found by state auditors in the use of Covid19 funds last year.

Jeann Miranda, Anakbayan spokesperson, said the government continues to neglect the welfare of Filipinos amid the pandemic.

The College Editors Guild of the Philippines called on the government to immediately reassess its Covid19 response, saying that the “usage and delivery of service is a different story.”

“Remembering the call for #DuqueResign, it must be noted that the Filipino Nurses United, as well as senators, had filed a resolution for Duque’s resignation due to his ‘inefficiency’ and ‘lack of foresight’. They characterized it as a general failure in leadership, which led to numerous casualties of Covid19 patients and healthcare workers,” CEGP said.

“With the country plunged into debt, death tolls via virus increasing, medical frontliners contracting the virus, and hospitals running out of capacity — we highly demand the government to reset and think about what should be prioritized and heeded,” it added.

In its annual report released on Wednesday, the Commission on Audit said the DoH did not comply with laws and regulations in managing some P67.23 billion pandemic response funds.

It found deficiencies in procurement, unused medical equipment, unpaid financial assistance, and the unauthorized grant of meal allowances, among others.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that all of the procured medical items such as medical ventilators, Covid19 testing kits, personal protective equipment and medicines were documented.