Health groups chapters in Cebu demand for President Duterte tackle in his fifth SONA this Monday, July 27, solutions for the plight of health workers and a better direction to recover from COVID-19.
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Health groups’ chapters in Cebu are hoping to hear solutions for the plight of medical workers amid the present health crisis and improvement on the country’s COVID-19 recovery plan from President Rodrigo Duterte’s State of the Nation Address on Monday, July 27, 2020.
In separate statements, the Cebu chapters of the Filipino Nurses United and the Coalition for People’s Right to Health said they hope to hear the President address the issues that affect the nurses and health professionals in the country and “concrete” actions towards recovery from the effects of the pandemic.
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FNU said hundreds of nurses had already resigned with only a few applying to fill in the vacancy of nursing positions in the country’s hospitals, “due to seeing the dreadful effects of the disease and fearing for their own lives, on top of being overworked, exhausted and deprived of due compensation.”
“Nurses in many private hospitals suffer from low pay, lack of hazard pay, and are deprived of food, transportation, and accommodation benefits. Nurses in public hospitals who are job order or contractual workers do not get to have benefits as well, unlike their regular counterparts in plantilla positions,” FNU-Cebu Chapter said.
The health groups said they hope for Duterte, who is now entering his fifth year in office, to commit for the hiring of more nurses and other health professionals to meet the needs of the health facilities.
Their demands include the filling up of 13,000 “vacant” permanent positions in the government service which remains; the hiring of one public health nurse per barangay; 6,000 nurses for COVID-19 hospitals; and additional 3,000 doctors.
“They must also be given due benefits including hazard pay and other provisions such as transportation, food, and accommodation. Just compensation and benefits will encourage nurses to apply,” FNU-Cebu said.
“Additional nurses will help meet the safe nurse-to-patient ratio, so that they do not have to work more than eight hours a day, have enough rest and regain strength to work the next day,” FNU-Cebu said citing the account of a private hospital nurse Cebu City which says that the current ratio is at 1 nurse for every10 patients in their COVID ward.
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The nurses’ group also called for the enactment of the Magna Carta for Private Health Workers that mandates the provision of adequate salaries, benefits, and decent working conditions and protection of the rights of private health workers in the country.
“The FNU – Cebu Chapter also wants an assurance from the President’s speech that nurses taking care of COVID-19 suspects or confirmed patients must be provided enough and appropriate PPE sets so that they do not get infected with the virus and do not have to go on quarantine that will further aggravate the existing understaffing,” their statement reads.
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The group also demanded the free mass testing of all health workers, the enactment of the proposed Free Mass Testing Act of 2020.
“The FNU statement also reiterated its demand to have health workers represented in the IATF Advisory Council. This will help thresh out and come up with solid actions to problems raised,” FNU-Cebu said.
“The FNU looks forward to the President’s SONA that will give due protection, honor, support, and respect to the country’s nurses,” it added.
Meanwhile, the Coalition for People’s Right to Health – Cebu Chapter also called for better COVID-19 recovery citing “major lapses” in the government’s handling of the health crisis.
“Hospitals in major cities in the country are understaffed and overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients while hospital workers are overworked, resigning, and in quarantine,” the group said.
The group also lamented the P386.6 billion loans incurred by the government for COVID-19 response from different global financial institutions which are to be paid at least until 2049.
“Instead of a humane and pro-people approach in handling the epidemic, the government used a militarist approach that deployed police and military forces and armored tanks, and instilled fear among the citizens.” CPRH-Cebu said.
The group said the government’s COVID-19 response “must have the elements of effectiveness, comprehensiveness, humaneness, and people’s participation” in order to effectively flatten the curve./dbs