Under the almost month-old Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, Duterte should deliver a weekly report to Congress every Monday, where he would detail what the government has done to address the COVID-19 crisis in the past week. Bayanihan Act also empowers the President to realign or reallocate savings from the 2019 and 2020 national budget.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 22) — The Department of Health is looking to hire more frontline personnel amid concern the coronavirus disease is starting to place a strain on existing workforce due to the daily rise in new infections, President Rodrigo Duterte has said.
Duterte said in his fourth report to Congress that the Health Department on April 15 “submitted to the Department of Budget and Management the P5.2 billion budget proposal for the hiring of additional 17,757 personnel for COVID-19 response.”
He said in his report Monday that these frontline workers will be deployed on priority health facilities such as quarantine sites, and COVID-19 referral hospitals such as Philippine General Hospital.
As of last week, there are almost 700 COVID-19 treatment facilities across the country – 72 DOH hospitals, 232 government hospitals, 381 private hospitals and eight quarantine sites, Duterte itemized.
Bayanihan Act also empowers the President to realign or reallocate savings from the 2019 and 2020 national budget.
Initial simulations of experts from University of the Philippines have showed the country may not have enough doctors and nurses to assist critically ill COVID-19 cases. This is based on a scenario where the country has hit its peak, meaning a COVID-positive person can infect two others.
The Philippines now has 6,599 infections, with 654 recoveries and 437 deaths.
The DOH on April 17 said at least 766 healthcare workers in the country, including doctors and nurses, have contracted COVID-19 — a three-fold increase from its report a week earlier.
The World Health Organization’s Western Pacific regional office also said Tuesday that the high percentage of around 13 percent infection among healthcare workers in the country is “worrisome.” It is higher than the 2-3 percent average infection among WHO’s Western Pacific regional members of 37 countries, including China.
