Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III on Friday assured the country’s medical frontliners that the Department of Health (DOH) is “sparing no effort” to ensure their welfare above all else.
In a media forum, Duque said that as of March 25, the DOH downloaded over P 1 billion for Metro Manila hospitals for the benefit of HCWs.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire explained further that from the P1.6 billion provision of the grant of Special Risk Allowance (SRA) and Active Hazard Duty Pay (AHDP) , a total of 60,449 and 56,099 HCWs in the National Capital Region have received SRA and AHDP respectively.
“To support our HCWs, we have provided benefits for accommodation, 20 percent premium of the basic salary,” Vergeire said.
She said that a total of P 527 million was also provided for the accommodation, meals, transportation, and insurance of HCWs.
She added that the DOH is already fast tracking the distribution of the AHDP and SRA to other HCWs.
Infections among HCWs
Duque also assured that they are closely monitoring the infection rate among HCWs.
“We reiterate to hospitals that the DOH has set guidelines on testing and quarantine for health-care workers and compliance is of utmost importance to not only protect our frontliners but to also ensure that hospital operations are unhampered,” Duque said.
Vergeire echoed by saying, ” We value our healthcare workers”.
Following reports that health workers in hospitals are not regularly tested, the DOH reiterated Department Memorandum (DM) No. 2020-0546 or the Interim Guidelines on Mandatory COVID-19 Testing of Public and Private Health Workers.
The DM mandates all public and private hospitals and health facilities, including TTMFs, to ensure the availability of testing services for all their HCWs directly catering to or exposed to persons who are classified as suspect, probable, and confirmed Covid-19 cases, with priority given to HCWs who are suspect cases.
For hospitals not providing mandatory testing to healthcare workers as needed, the DOH said that they may report to them directly through the DOH Hotline 1555, or to the DOH Complaints Handling Unit at [email protected].
As of April 14, the DOH recorded 16,745 HCWs positive for Covid-19. Of these, 15,847 (94.6 percent) have recovered, 87 (0.5 percent) have died and 811 (4.8 percent) were active cases.
Covid cases
Meanwhile, 10,726 new cases were logged as of 4 p.m. of April 16, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 914, 971. There where 650 recoveries and na 145 deaths.
Of the total number of cases, 21.1 percent( 193,476) are active, 77.1 percent (705,757) have recovered, and 1.72 percent (15,738) have died.
PPEs
The DOH also assured that today supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) in the country are enough and that its distribution across health facilities in the country will continue.
Duque said that about P 2 billion worth of PPEs are set to be procured.
Amid the observed increase in cases and the need for distribution of supplemental PPEs in health facilities, the DOH said that from March 18-31, it has distributed more than 190,000 supplemental PPE supplies to thirteen government hospitals in the National Capital Region, and more than half a million supplies distributed to eight Centers for Health Development (CHD) across the country.
The DOH is also currently prioritizing the delivery of PPE supplies to hospitals and CHDs in high and critical-risk areas to immediately replenish their stocks and provide constant protection of healthcare workers from the viral transmission.
In CHD-NCR alone, 7,000 sets of 210,000 assorted PPEs, N95 masks and heavy duty gloves were pulled out and distributed on March 23, 2021.
On the other hand, 114,000 sets of PPEs have been partially delivered to CHDs in Regions I, II, III, IV-A, and Cordillera Administrative Region, and 190,000 sets have been distributed to CHDs in Regions IV-B and V.
To further augment the supplies of protective equipment in hospitals with high healthcare utilization rates, separate supply of assorted PPEs, N95 masks and heavy duty gloves have also been dispatched to the Lung Center of the Philippines, East Avenue Medical Center, Philippine Orthopedic Center, and other DOH Covid-referral hospitals in the NCR.
While supplies of PPEs remain sufficient, the DOH recognized the need to continuously provide supplemental PPEs to health facilities which is why the Department has placed orders for additional PPE supplies.
“We cannot let our healthcare workers fight their everyday battle at the forefront without armor. We assure our HCWs that your government is exhausting every effort to protect all of you through both continuous provision of protective equipment and continuous vaccination,” Duque stressed.
FNU: Realities on the ground
On Thursday, the Filipino Nurses United (FNU) lamented that their cries have been met with “complete denial and non-acceptance of realities” on the ground.
“The DOH never seems to stop with its delusional assessments of situation or complete denial. This could further lead to non-resolution and worsening of our concerns,” the FNU said.
With this, the FNU reiterated their call for a serious restrategizing of Covid-19 response:
1. Provide free, adequate, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPEs) to all frontline health workers;
2. Mass hiring of nurses for the 42,000 barangays and for public hospitals, with regular/permanent positions;
3. Increase salaries of all nurses, regardless of employment status, including the private sector;
4. Subsidize private hospitals for PPEs , salaries, benefits and Covid-19 supplies and services;
5. Release the delayed salaries and AHDP, SRA benefits of local government nurses;
6. Fill up and create more plantilla positions in government hospitals and in public health facilities;
7. End contractualization of all nurses;
8. End demotion in rank of all government nurses including Local government units nurses;
9. Provide benefits such as hazard pay, (including Bayanihan 2 benefits of AHDP and SRA) transportation, accommodation and paid vaccination and quarantine leaves for all health workers/employees and;
10. Overhaul the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and restrategize Covid-19 response towards more scientific and comprehensive sustainable programs.
Image credits: AP/Aaron Favila
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