MANILA (UCAN): The Covid-19 coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) claimed the lives of at least 12 doctors in the Philippines, while at least seven are quarantined in hospitals after testing positive, according to the Philippine Medical Association. The deaths among doctors accounts for almost 17 per cent of the 71 recorded fatalities as of March 31.
“We are still grieving but at this point we cannot do anything about what has lapsed already, what has been done already,” Dr. Oscar Tinio, the association’s chairperson, said in an interview on March 29.
The senior health official said the deaths and quarantining of medical staff have made an acute shortage of doctors in the country worse, saying the ratio of doctors to patients in the Philippines was already very high at 1:40,000.
“This is way higher than the ideal ratio of one doctor per 10,000 patients,” Tinio said.
Many doctors have voiced concerns over a lack of protection on the front line
“We are willing to risk our lives to fight this pandemic. But we need help and cooperation from the government and from the public by staying at home and by giving us more masks and personal protective equipment (PPE),” said another doctor who wished to remain anonymous.
Many hospitals are relying on donation drives to help them and their health workers outside Manila after they complained of a lack of masks and PPE on social media.
Meanwhile, the Philippines’ Department of Health says it is conducting 1,000 tests per day nationwide, up from 300 last week.
“Let us expect that there will be more Covid positives because our testing capacity has also increased,” Health secretary, Francisco Duque, said. He cautioned the public not to expect the number of cases to immediately drop because the country has just begun conducting more tests.
As we celebrate the 500 years of Christianity in the Philippines. The Chaplaincy to Filipino Migrants organises an on-line talk every Tuesday at 9.00pm. You can join us at:
https://www.Facebook.com/CFM-Gifted-to-give-101039001847033
The government has also been working with the Archdiocese of Manila to shelter not street dwellers and health workers fighting the pandemic.
“Our front-liners will be most welcome in the dorms and bedrooms of religious and diocesan formation centres and retreat houses,” said Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, vice-president of the Catholic bishops’ conference.
The bishop, together with Caritas Kalookan, is also spearheading a food program in his own diocese of Kalookan.
He called those helping the programme “foot soldiers” for being “brave enough to go out and deliver food to the poor so that they can stay home.”
Meanwhile, Bishop Broderick Pabillo, apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila, also cautioned the government against mismanaging the lockdown of Metro Manila and the main island of Luzon, imposed on March 16.
The bishop noted that the lockdown was imposed unexpectedly and without first creating awareness and could result in social unrest if the government fails to address the hardship it creates for the poor.
“Today it is relatively peaceful, but I doubt it will last. When people are idle and do not have enough to eat, there can be problems,” Bishop Pabillo told the France-based Eglises d’ Asie publication on March 26.
“There was much apprehension” even when the lockdown started. It was “new for everyone” and “many people were not convinced of its necessity. There was a lack of awareness. The modalities were not clearly explained,” Bishop Pabillo said.
The government’s instructions were “sometimes contradictory,” the bishop said, referring to incidents like hospital staff finding themselves without any transport overnight and the army helping them travel back to their homes.
However, Bishop Pabillo said the lockdown would hit poor slum people hard.
“It is impossible to impose a lockdown in the capital’s many slums. Many live without a roof over their heads. Others are crammed into makeshift shelters where it is very hot. It is difficult to ask them to stay locked up for a long time,” the bishop said.
“How are we going to contain the spread of the epidemic once it reaches the slums? The coronavirus is even more undetectable in the slums. Moreover, they are primarily concerned with their day-to-day survival, not the virus,” he said, adding that most poor in Manila are daily wage workers. “They don’t have any savings in case of a hard blow. The government has not announced any specific aid to help day laborers and the poor,” the bishop said.
“We use our social networks to disseminate information. Caritas Manila, the social service arm of the Church in the city, has mobilized its volunteers who stay in touch with slum dwellers,” Bishop Pabillo said,
“Some companies have also made donations to Caritas so that money can be directly distributed to the poorest. However, all these efforts will remain insufficient if the government does not contribute,” he said,
As of April 2, out of 927,925 confirmed cases of Covid-19 wordlwide, 190,766 have recovered, but 46,616 have died.
In a televised address to the nation on March 30, Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte, pledged to look after low-income households and those relying on a daily wage through a 200 billion peso ($31 billion) fund made available by Congress.
He said it would be the widest and largest social protection program in the history of the Philippines.
The president also paid tribute to health workers and the sacrifices they were making for the nation’s people.
“There are doctors, nurses, attendants who have died (due to Covid-19). They offered their lives to help their countrymen. They are so fortunate, they died for the motherland,” Duterte said.
“I hope politicians will not simply put the money in their pockets. Yes, there is money. But the question is how much of it will they really give to the poor. How much will they keep for themselves?” asked Harlet Dumagtoy, a janitor.
