NOTE: THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE BOHOL CHRONICLE’S SUNDAY PRINT EDITION.
The medical sector of the province lambasted a Facebook account called “Bohol Monitor” for maligning their profession amidst the pandemic.
In a strongly-worded open letter, the Bohol Medical Society (BMS) said while the group refused to give in to speculations as to the real motives behind the attack on social media, the practitioners will not allow being maligned by a “faceless coward who hides behind a computer screen and taps his attacks on a keyboard.”
The statement came as the said FB account ignored the call of the doctors to properly communicate with a representative of the group he has accused and shamed very crudely.
The doctors deplored individuals or groups who “refusing to reveal their identities continue to malign the medical profession.”
The BMS headed by Dr. Jefferson Ong as the president said “this pandemic has not put extra money in our pockets instead it has taken much of our regular incomes as we are forced to limit our patients and some have stopped seeing patients in hospitals due to health conditions.”
The doctors’ group said they wish not to be perceived to have politicalized their position statements.
“We foresee worse things for our Bol-anon community” if they will stop bothering with these health issues, the BMS said.
The front liners in this pandemic have vowed that despite the maligning of their profession, they will not change their commitment to the well-being and health of the community even as the posting of the accusation has “dampened their morale.”
The social media posting of Bohol Monitor is “counterproductive or outright destructive,” the doctors declared.
The BMS recalled that since the start of Covid 19, the position statements and recommendations to the government have always been expressed with “respect and transparency.”
The doctors’ group said that never in their aim to provoke conflict but just to encourage what is medically right.
The doctors’ official statement said the BMS seeks to preserve the dignity of the medical profession and the welfare of its members.
The medical sector vowed never to be derailed in its efforts to fight Covid 19 and all other health issues.
“While admitting shortcomings in the profession, the doctors stand as one in prayer with the community for the Lord God to fill us with hope and lead us all to a blessed future,” the BMS statement concluded.