Even before the pandemic, Maristela Abenojar of the Filipino Nurses United said nurses are already attending to 30 to as many as 60 patients per shift. This is a far cry from the ideal 1:12 ratio for ward patients and 1:1 for patients in intensive care.
In public hospitals, Alliance of Health Workers said frontline health workers are enraged over the inadequate protective gear, equipment, and supplies provided to them.
In the fourth episode of Bulatlatan, community doctor Dr. Gene Nisperos debunked the many narratives peddled by government officials regarding COVID-19 pandemic.
“Who will provide quality healthcare to our patients if our healthcare providers become patients too. The government must immediately distribute PPE to ensure and protect health workers, hire and train more additional permanent health workers, and increase the public hospital budget.”
The practice of zoombombing, or trolls hijacking Zoom conferences, is just among the increasing vulnerabilities of women and children as they turn to online apps to contact friends, colleagues, and work from home.
This means that only those with mild pneumonia could be fully covered by Philhealth. Those with moderate, severe and critical pneumonia will have to shell out payments from their own pockets, ranging from 35 percent to 88 percent for an eight-day confinement. For severe and critical pneumonia, Philhealth will only cover nine percent to 21 percent of the total cost for a 16-day hospitalization.
Dr. Julie Caguiat, one the convenors of the Coalition for People’s Right to Health and executive director of the Community Medicine Foundation, said that the mass testing can provide the government a “map” that lays down the arena of its fight against the deadly virus.
"The lockdown has undeniably caused different levels of anxiety and stress. Ordinary citizens and fellow journalists must learn how to deal with stress in a positive way. Mindfulness helps us to remain calm and grounded."
Even during a calamity or health emergency, Bishop Reuel Marigza, general secretary of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, said that compassion and human dignity should be at the heart of government officials carrying out relief operations.
"They threatened to stop our community kitchen if we will continue with the protests and placards. Will these police officers feed us?"
While they understand the urgency to address the COVID-19 pandemic, their hearts go to thousands of Filipinos relying on services only the likes of a government tertiary hospital can provide.
"The people are getting hungry. The answer to their fervent wish is simple. And yet they were violently dispersed and arrested all because this gathering is prohibited?"
Most of the breadwinners in their village earn a living either as construction workers or market vendors.
“One who has spent his life teaching. One who never got tired to impart knowledge and wisdom. One who made you sweat as he bombards you with questions but would suddenly make you feel at ease as he breaks into a smile.”
The lack of basic social services accessible to the poorest of the poor remains as the biggest stumbling block for health workers who wish to finally flatten the curve of the pandemic.
Amid the calls to “stay at home” and “work at home,” an urban poor group said thousands of Filipinos do not have roofs over their heads in the first place.
“The community quarantine or lockdown over Metro Manila spells forced hunger to millions of low-income workers who cannot afford to skip a day despite the current COVID-19 pandemic.”
From 2016 to 2019 alone, the public health program’s total budget allocation has been reduced significantly, varying from 15-percent to 28-percent cut.
For one, the budget for Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, the lead public hospital in the government’s effort to address the looming outbreak, has been slashed from P263 million in 2019 to P115 million in 2020.
Under President Duterte’s first year in office, the reported rape cases has also increased by 53 percent compared to its 6,480 annual average in the past decade.
Gender disparity in wages remains to this day, which ranges from four to 25 percent. The CWR cited “implicit biases” continue as capitalists discriminate women’s work as “just add-on to the entire household earnings.”
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