Dr Antonio Dans of the PSGIM said health workers are simply asking the government to “sit down and talk and replan with a sense of urgency.” Those on the front lines witness the problems first. And solutions are needed fast. READ:
For a nation starved of rational voices, health workers at the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak told the Duterte government what it needed to do if there was any way the country’s health system could survive a pandemic that has brought it to its knees.The sober call came from what has long been a silent and faceless force, as doctors and nurses warned the public the front lines of hospitals were breaking.
The way the health workers delivered their message – through a Zoom call on a rainy Saturday morning – would have otherwise seemed like any other video conference held in a time of physical distancing. "The health workers now, if you ask them, if we had a choice, we would stop what we're doing, just go stay at home, watch Netflix. But we don't have that luxury. We cannot do that. We cannot do that because we have sworn to serve,” Baticulon told Rappler. "The only things that would really keep us going are the small wins."
HUDDLE. Makati Medical Center health workers join hands as they treat coronavirus patients. Photo from MMCThe reality in the nation’s front lines is what has propelled an otherwise quiet workforce in the medical sector to sound the alarm that the country is reopening too quickly. Researchers studying the outbreak in the Philippines have the data needed to back the medical community’s call.
“We medical professionals are suffering so much from the mental burden of this pandemic. We have been in this fight since March and we feel we are nearing the end of the line,” she said.The initial response of the government to address the strain on hospitals has so far centered on asking the health centers to expand facilities dedicated for coronavirus patients.
But when hospitals declare capacity, health workers know that beds alone don’t make up for the health system’s response to the pandemic. Hospitals need more health workers, a workforce already in shortage in the Philippines. “If public health authorities are not careful, these critical patients will experience a lack of proper care because of lack of healthcare workers. This will lead to an increase in non-COVID-19 deaths,” the Octa research group said.
"We really have to remember we're working with a fixed number of doctors, nurses, and staff. If you put more people into the COVID unit, then we have less people to work in the non-COVID units. Our outpatient clinics are still closed.... PGH serves around 600,000 patients. 500,000 of those are outpatients. Where do they go now?" he said.Since first becoming a COVID-dedicated hospital in March, PGH has nearly doubled its bed capacity for coronavirus patients from 130 to 210 beds.
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