Davao City: The Davao City government has released portion of the one year salary of Mayor Inday Sara Duterte of P1.3 million for the trust fund of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) health workers who contracted the coronavirus infection.
This was a commitment of Mayor Sara to help the SPMC health workers who have been at the front line of the coronavirus response as she felt accountable for the frontliners for assigning SPMC the lone hospital to receive patients positive of the coronavirus. She committed her one-year salary of P2.1 million to a trust fund.
She said a total of 28 health workers in SPMC has to receive P50,000 each. Of the number, 26 already received the assistance.
In an earlier statement, Dr. Ricardo Audan, the chief of the SPMC Medical Professional Staff, bared that as of May 21, 2020, a total of 1,661 hospital employees have been tested for coronavirus.
Of the total number tested, 13 doctors, seven (7) nurses, and six (6) administrative staff have been positive of the coronavirus.
The mayor hoped that there will be no additional cases for SPMC health workers getting exposed with the coronavirus.
Asked on the resignation of the health workers at the state-run hospital for their fear of exposure to the coronavirus, Mayor Sara said it is normal for the employees to think of their welfare especially for those who have families.
“Katong mga naghuna-huna nga mag resign, they are well within their right nga mag decide mo-resign. Nobody will judge them, nobody will think anything nga daotan sa ilaha because perfectly normal gyud na. Siyempre nahadlok sila sa ilahang exposure especially katong mga tao nga pag mo-uli sila sa ilahang balay nga very vulnerable nga matakdan (Those who are thinking of resigning, they are well within their right to decide. Nobody will judge them, nobody will think anything wrong about them because it is perfectly normal. Of course, they are afraid to get exposed especially if they have family members who are vulnerable and can get exposed),” she said. CIO