ON SATURDAY a 34-year-old doctor in Peñaranda, Nueva Ecija province succumbed to complications caused by COVID-19. We salute the young doctor and all health workers in the frontlines who risk their health and safety to save lives.
We also mourn the death of 19 Filipinos as result of COVID-19. We hope for the speedy recovery of over 300 patients and of those who are now ill but unable to access testing and treatment.
The slow testing of persons under investigation (PUIs) contributes to the rising number of new infections and COVID-19-related deaths. Some of the PUIs have died prior to the result of their COVID-19 tests. Many deaths, such as that of the young doctor, could have been avoided if there was early detection. Sending frontliners without appropriate medical protection and immediate access to testing and treatment is gross negligence on the part of national health authorities. We hope the Nueva Ecija doctor would be the first and last health worker to die due to COVID-19. Imagine what will happen to our public health system if our health workers get sick, too. Terrible.
Access to medical testing and treatment is the people’s right, not a privilege of the few government officials and elite families.
We urge the Congress who will conduct a special session to channel funds to medical response. It must allot emergency fund for mass testing, increased capacity of laboratory facilities, and treatment in public hospitals. Our policymakers should keep in mind that the backbone of COVID-19 response is mass testing, contact tracing and isolation of those infected. This is based on the recommendations of the World Health Organization.
Congress must release emergency fund for the immediate increased production of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies for doctors and health workers. The latter should be given wage increase and additional compensation like overtime and hazard pay.
We call on Filipino health workers and masses, let us honor the death of a young health worker by struggling for a mass-oriented health care system. Dr. Israel Bactol, the doctor who died, was a people’s hero. He died while doing service to Filipinos. We mourn his death and of other Filipinos as a result of COVID-19, and this should compel us all to endeavor to save the lives of doctors and health workers and of every Filipino family.
