DOLE urges firms to adopt anti-TB policy

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has ordered all private companies to have a policy and program on tuberculosis (TB) which kills 75 Filipinos everyday.

In a department order signed by Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas, the agency said there is an increasing concern for TB in the workplace.

Citing the records of the Philippine Tuberculosis Initiatives for the Private Sector (PhilTIPS), DOLE noted that the 75 TB-related deaths daily translates to P7.9 million in lost wages annually.

In an interview, PhilTIPS communication adviser Jolan Angeles said the Philippines ranks 9th among 22 countries heavily burdened by TB.

He said around 27,000 Filipinos die from TB every year, a figure that could not be ignored because it also has an impact on the affected families.

DOLE said that "foregone wages and benefits due to premature deaths of workers who had TB accounts for about P27 billion."

An average worker reportedly spends anywhere from P216 to P451 daily to treat TB. — Sheila Crisostomo