Manila, April 2 -- The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Tuesday began its mass layoffs, dismissing thousands of employees across various agencies, various US media reported.

Significant budget cuts to divisions of the HHS, such as the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institutes of Health, among others, have raised serious concerns about public health and scientific research.

"The Trump administration laid off thousands of federal health workers on Tuesday in a purge that included senior leaders and top scientists charged with regulating food and drugs, protecting Americans from disease and researching new treatments and cures," The New York Times reported....