MANILA, Philippines — Apparel exporters in the Philippines will start producing medical grade personal protective equipment for the healthcare workers leading the country’s fight against the new coronavirus.
Healthcare workers in the Philippines deal with a shortage of supplies such as masks, suits and protective gear, making frontliners even more susceptible to the virus while treating patients.
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Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, the spokesperson of the government’s coronavirus task force, announced Monday that member companies of the Confederation of Wearable Exporters of the Philippines can produce 10,000 PPEs a day.
“Raw materials for these will be shipped in by this week and the roll out of production at the garment factories will immediately start after the Holy Week,” Nograles said Monday.
The PPE coveralls to be produced can be used even in operating rooms, COVID-19 positive wards and intensive care units. The PPEs were tested by the Department of Health and the Philippine General Hospital.
The DOH purchased one million sets of PPE worth P1.8 billion, which will be given to health workers in COVID-19 referral hospitals. Each set of PPE contains head gear, goggles, N95 masks, gloves, apron and gown.
The first batch of the procured PPE sets arrived last week, while the remaining 985,000 sets will arrive between April 6 and 24.
Firm eyes 2 million face masks each month
A medical equipment manufacturer based at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga is eyeing to produce two million face masks each month once it resolves its shortage in manpower.
Yuki Yokoi, president of Yokoisada Philippines Corp., said that the firm is currently only producing at 20% of its total maximum capacity. It can produce up to 10 million face masks with a full manpower capacity of 300 workers.
“We are hopeful that once the enhanced community quarantine is lifted on April 14, we can produce more face masks,” Yokoi said
Yokoisada currently has 100 regular employees with 50 regularly reporting for work while observing quarantine guidelines.
The Department of Trade and Industry assured the company additional manpower will be supplied in the coming weeks to reach maximum production.
The DTI will distribute the face masks to Philippine hospitals and other pharmaceutical firms to supply the rising demand for PPEs.
The new coronavirus has so far infected 3,246 people in the Philippines—152 of whom have died. — with report from Camille Diola, photo from Clark-based Yokoisada Philippines Corp.