ECQ more suffering than solution for health workers, public — nurses' group
MANILA, Philippines — The implementation of the enhanced community quarantine in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces will bring “further suffering” to health workers and the public, a group of nurses said Wednesday.
The government placed the capital region, Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite and Laguna under the so-called “NCR Plus” bubble, hoping to curb the surge in cases that has strained hospitals. Authorities warned the lockdown could be prolonged for another week.
But in a statement, the Filipino Nurses United the implementation of ECQ is “not a solution” to contain the pandemic.
“A repeat of hard lockdown or ECQ without clear and coordinated plans for the health workers and assurance of economic assistance and aid for the marginalized sectors who would again be displaced is headed for another failure,” FNU said.
“Repeating a failed measure will surely lead to the same fate with unresolved problems becoming even worse,” it added.
‘No end in sight’
The country reported 6,128 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday after reporting over 9,000 cases for five straight days. This pushed the caseload to 747,288, of which 17.4% are active cases.
Several hospitals in the capital region have reported critical capacity for COVID-19 cases, with patients dying outside emergency rooms.
“Our hospitals are again full to the brim, understaffing worsens and we are forced to carry heavier and patient load with many in our ranks falling sick,” FNU said.
According to the group, one nurse handles an average of 12 severe cases. In intensive care unit, a nurse takes care of two to three patients.
“With health care services on the verge of collapse and the general welfare of health workers critically compromised, there is no end in sight to our calvary,” FNU said.
Nurses’ demands
The group stressed the militaristic lockdown and approaches will not solve the health crisis as long as there are no free mass testing, systematic contact tracing, improved quarantine services and economic support for the people.
“We are angered by the year-long incompetence and deficiencies in this COVID-18 response because it translated to thousands of lives made to suffer by the highly infectious, fatal disease that has also led to needless human deaths, including of health workers,” the FNU said.
The FNU is calling for the government to heed the following demands:
- Mass hiring of nurses and doctors for public hospitals and 42,000 barangas
- Increase wages of all nurses
- Subsidize private hospitals for protective gear, salaries, benefits, and COVID-19 supplies and services
- Release the delayed salaries of nurses working in local government units
- Fill and create more plantilla positions in public health facilities
- Rehire and regularize contractual nurses
- Provide hazard pay, transportation, accommodation and paid post-vaccination and quarantine leaves for regular or permanent employees and contractual
- Reorganize IATF and restrategize COVID-19 response toward more scientific and comprehensive sustainable programs
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