Acting city health officer Dr. Lorraine Nery has relinquished her position as well as for being the vice-chairperson of the city’s Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) Emergency Operation Center, mayor Oscar Moreno announced on Saturday.
Moreno appointed Dr. William Bernardo, city health insurance office head, to concurrently lead the city health office in an acting capacity to avert any void in the leadership of the department.
“I’ve known him (Bernardo) for so long when I was still a governor in 2004, and he was a consistent awardee as a hospital administrator. So some adjustments and I am hopeful that we can raise this to a higher level,” he said in a statement.
Moreno said Bernardo and Nery had a conversation last Thursday, and she submitted her letter of relinquishment on Friday.
He did not divulge reason for her relinquishment to avoid conflict with regards to the question that cites the possible involvement of the vaccination program.
Moreno said he and Nery had both dealt with it professionally.
He added Nery will continue to serve as Medical Officer IV, her entry point when she joined the city government last 2019.
Meanwhile, Moreno said the department needs “streamlining” especially during this pandemic.
“Streamlining or reengineering, can be, by itself, a very difficult and tedious process. More so at this time as we are confronted with tremendous obstacles and hurdles brought by the pandemic,” he said.
Source: Philippines News Agency
