Tumulak: More personal protective equipment needed for city’s health workers

CEBU CITY, Philippines—The Cebu City Health needs more personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect the health workers against the possible entry of viral diseases in the city. 

This was the assessment of Cebu City Councilor David Tumulak, the chairperson of the Council’s committee on disaster risk reduction and management, after checking the Cebu City Health’s preparedness for the possible entry of the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). 

He said that there are, at most, only 20 PPEs, including masks, gloves, or hygiene suits, that would protect health workers should they need to handle a case of coronavirus. 

Tumulak said this is not enough.

“We have to protect our health workers if a virus will spread in the city. We need to be prepared,” he said. 

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With this, he wants the Cebu City Health to provide an inventory of PPEs to the City Council so it can  assess if the City Health needs additional budget for the purchase of more PPEs as precautionary measure. 

Tumulak also said that the barangays must be prepared for the virus, especially that another case is being monitored by the Department of Health (DOH) in Cebu City. 

The preparations should be from the barangay level with barangay health workers going rounds and informing households on precautionary measures against the deadly virus. 

Yet, Tumulak said barangay health workers do not have the PPEs to protect them, which is why the council has to intervene through the Task Force Coronavirus. 

Mayor Edgardo Labella said the city has funds to purchase more PPEs as precautionary measures agains the virus. 

“Everybody should be involved. It is a coordinated effort to fight this disease. We will purchase more PPEs,” said the mayor. 

Labella said that viruses such as the 2019-nCoV will come up from time to time, which is why the Cebu City Health should always be prepared to treat patients. /bmjo