The Philippines must enhance its testing capacity to better prepare for future pandemics, a Department of Health (DoH) official said on Thursday.

Speaking at the Engaging Media for Health Literacy conference, Faith Caitlyn Valdez, supervising health program officer at the DoH Epidemiology Bureau, highlighted the initial challenges faced during the Covid-19 pandemic regarding detection and data collection.

“I think because we had limited testing capacity when the pandemic started, we faced significant challenges,” Valdez said. “So hopefully, if there is a new outbreak, we can immediately establish a system to detect cases.”

Valdez underscored the need for a robust information system to handle the collection and analysis of data on detected cases.

“We must have a ready information system to collect our detected cases so that we have a way to analyze, interpret, and then we can provide prevention and control measures,” she said.

She pointed out the importance of digital transformation in improving the speed and efficiency of data handling. “Previously, we relied on paper-based forms, which delayed the transmission of data to the national level,” she noted.

“To address this, we need to digitalize our reporting systems. Moving from paper-based forms to web-based reporting will ensure that data is uploaded and processed much faster,” she explained.

Valdez’s remarks came as health officials and stakeholders reflected on the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic and work towards strengthening the country’s health system to mitigate the impact of future public health crises.