ILOILO City – Four Ilonggo nurses working abroad got infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and died.
Healthcare workers are at the frontline of the COVID-19 outbreak response and as such are exposed to hazards that put them at risk of infection.
The hazards include pathogen exposure, long working hours, psychological distress, fatigue, occupational burnout, stigma, and physical and psychological violence, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Maria Guia Cabillon of this city died yesterday morning (Philippine time) while being treated at a hospital in New York City, epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States.
Cabillon worked as an emergency room nurse at Kings County Hospital.
Her children Grace and Fatima Even confirmed their mother’s passing on Facebook.
Cabillon had been working in New York City for the past 30 years.
On Sunday at around 5:40 a.m. (Philippine time), 44-year-old Marlon Jimenea of La Paz district here died at the University Hospital Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he was working.
According to his mother Heide, Jimenea struggled with COVID-19 for 21 days. She kept track of her son’s condition through his wife who was also working in the UAE.
“After hearing his Papa’s voice clip, he breathed his last. Perhaps he was just waiting to hear from him,” said Heide.
Jimenea, who had been working in the UAE for a decade, was taken to the intensive care unit of the hospital after testing positive for COVID-19. By then, he was already having difficulty breathing.
The death was difficult for the family; they knew he was very careful with his health.
“Gusto ko tani i-cremate na lang para in case ma-lift ang lockdown, madala diri,” according to the mother.
She, however, said the UAE has its own protocols in managing COVID-19 mortalities and this must be respected.
Just recently, it was also reported that Alimodian, Iloilo resident and nurse Divina Amo-Accad, 72, died in Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Accad worked at the John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs Medical Center. She was set to retire this year.
Accad earned her college degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Central Philippine University 1969.
Another Ilonggo nurse who succumbed to COVID-19 was Amor Padilla-Gatinao of Barangay Arguelles, Jaro district here. She died in the United Kingdom.
Gatinao worked at St. Charles Hospital in Ladbroke Grove, North Kensington.
She completed her high school education at Central Philippine University and her Nursing degree at West Visayas State University.
In the Philippines, the Department of Health (DOH) revealed on April 22 that over 1,000 healthcare workers in the country were positive for COVID-19, and most of them were doctors.
The agency broke down the 1,062 infected healthcare workers, namely, 422 doctors, 386 nurses, 30 medical technologists, 21 radiological technologists, 51 nursing assistants and 152 other medical personnel such as administrative staff and barangay health workers.
Of the number, 26 died, including 19 doctors.
The WHO expressed concern over the number of healthcare workers with COVID-19 in the Philippines. Dr. Abdi Mahamud, WHO-Western Pacific Region COVID-19 Incident Manager, said he was working with DOH to find out if there is a possible shortage of personal protective equipment causing this trend.
The DOH maintained that it is following WHO-guided protocols on the use of PPEs for medical frontliners./PN
