Dr. Mary Jean Loreche | CDN Digital File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The chief pathologist of the Department of Health in Central Visayas (DOH-7) will be undertaking a new role under the Cebu Provincial Government.
Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia confirmed that they will be having Dr. Mary Jean Loreche as a pro bono consultant for the province’s Health Affairs.
The Provincial Board recently approved a resolution, penned by Cebu 1st District Rep. Raul Bacaltos, authorizing Garcia to sign the contract to have Loreche as part of the Capitol’s consultants.
The governor said they sought the expertise and insights of professionals like Loreche, especially now that the province continues to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
“She’s the chief pathologist of DOH-7. Since we are facing a pandemic, we will need her inputs especially this concern is about public health,” explained Garcia.
For her part, Loreche said she looked forward to her new job at the Capitol.
“I have been part of the DOH7 team working closely with our LGUs (local government units) including the province of Cebu. The piso consultancy is an honor and a privilege, and it formalizes the relationship in terms of guidance and recommendations on health concerns especially on the matter of testing protocols that will address the current situation and in forward planning as we prepare to live with COVID,” said Loreche in a text message.
Aside from being the chief pathologist for the regional health office, Loreche is the spokesperson for the Visayas Vaccination Operations Center (VVOC).
She is also a key figure of the public-private partnership initiative Project Balik Buhay (PBB), and was instrumental in pushing Cebu’s swab-upon-arrival policy for returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).
To recall, the swabbing protocol was the subject of debates and tension that briefly occurred between the Capitol and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Disease (IATF) since it deviated from what the latter mandated.
/bmjo
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