THE Department of Health (DoH) warned the public not to be duped by individuals or groups offering a cure for diabetes online.
It cited posts using the names of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa and the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) and encouraging people to buy the medicine online.
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa. PHOTO BY MIKE ALQUINTO
These posts claim that “Herbosa supported the diabetes control program and that the PGH is willing to sell the products to the people.” The Health department denied that it supported such. “DoH clarifies that no such scenario or statement has been made by the department and its officials,” it said.
It warned that criminal charges may be filed against individuals behind the scam.
“The people are encouraged to only source information from legitimate sources and platforms like the Health department, which can be accessed on social media,” the DoH said.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that diabetes was the fourth killer disease in 2020 with 37,265 deaths, after heart disease with 99,680 deaths; cancer with 62,289; and cerebrovascular diseases with 59,736. Deaths due to diabetes have increased by 7.8 percent since 2019.
Meanwhile, data from the Department of Science and Technology-Food Nutrition Research Institute showed that diabetes cases in the Philippines had increased from 5.6 percent in 2013 to 8.2 percent in 2019. Around 14.2 percent of the population already has prediabetes.
