We need health-centered response to COVID-19 outbreak

PEOPLE are actually waiting for concrete medical actions like massive free testing in every barangay. They need information on how to prevent and combat COVID-19.

The current ratio of one public doctor for more than 31,000 Filipinos (according to research and training organization Center for Women’s Resources) is already disturbing for the public. A soft or semi-lockdown could make them even more distressed.

The “community quarantine” in Metro Manila raises concerns. The government wanted to impose it on cities and municipalities with confirmed cases of COVID-19, however, it did not provide guidelines for its implementation.

People hope it would announce massive testing in communities where there are confirmed cases; that information drive will be launched in poor communities where awareness on COVID-19 is low; that regulations will be imposed on hoarding and overpricing of medical products such as face masks, alcohol, medicines, and disinfectants; that additional funds will be given to buy more testing kits and provide protection to health care providers; that aid will be provided to those whose work and livelihood are affected by COVID-19.

According to the Center for Women’s Resources, the most recent government data showed that the public health care system could hardly respond in times of pandemic like COVID-19 as there are limited public health facilities and inadequate number of health care providers. Currently, there are only 2,597 rural health units (RHU) and urban health centers (UHC) across the country, or less than half of target of the Department of Health. This translates to one RHU or UHC for almost 41,000 Filipinos. The ratio of government-owned hospital beds to population stands at 1:2,320. Meanwhile, health care providers in government hospitals are also limited. The public doctors to population ratio is 1:31,390 while the public nurses to population ratio is 1:16,832.

Government should hire and deploy more health care providers to affected communities. What people want to know are the available services they could access, safety measures, parameters, alternatives.

In short, what people need is a comprehensive health-centered response, and this will be difficult to exact unless the government further invests in the health sector, which it obviously has not done. The Duterte administration should put into better use the hefty amounts of confidential intelligence funds to subsidize the health sector they perennially neglect. Funding for the sector means funding for mass-testing, mass disinfection efforts, and more support for the workers and hospitals that need to aid those who may have the disease.