The Department of Health (DoH) on Thursday assured the public that its services will remain uninterrupted despite an executive order from United States (US) President Donald Trump freezing any new international aid.

Trump issued a 90-day stop-work order last week on existing and new foreign development assistance.

“Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa has been facilitating multilateral arrangements with various countries to support health system strengthening activities toward universal health care (UHC) for all Filipinos,” DoH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo told the press on Thursday.

“The delivery of health services by DoH and the expansion of PhilHealth benefit packages continue unimpeded,” Domingo added.

However, this was not the case for a local organization promoting the welfare of patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

On 29 January, LoveYourself Inc. announced that it is temporarily pausing the distribution of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and HIV self-testing kits.

PrEP is a medication that helps reduce the risk of HIV infection.

Trump’s order halts the supply of lifesaving drugs, including HIV medicines, to countries supported by the US Agency for International Development.

The order is seen as a significant blow to the Philippines, which is recognized as one of the nations with the fastest-growing HIV epidemics in Asia.

There are about 190,000 people living with HIV in the Philippines, according to data.