Nurses' union renews call for mass hiring, adequate protection as Philippines grapples with COVID-19 surge
MANILA, Philippines — A nurses’ group renewed its call for the government to hire more health workers and provide medical frontliners sufficient protection and just compensation as they continue to lead the country's battle against COVID-19.
The Filipino Nurses United issued the statement Thursday, on the death anniversary of the first nurse casualty of the pandemic. It said another nurse in a public hospital passed away.
“[It is] a sad and grim reminder that the deadly is still far from being subdued and controlled. In fact, it is still raging,” FNU said.
“FNU reiterates its call for adequate protection, just compensation and benefits for nurses, doctors and other health workers especially when they get sick in line of duty,” it said.
The group also called for the mass hiring of health workers and demanded the government to provide them decent salaries, benefits and job security to ensure retention and continuity.
As of March 31, the Department of Health recorded 15,953 health care workers positive for COVID-19. Of these, 82 have died and 608 were active cases.
Continued misery
Daily COVID-19 cases in the Philippines are at their peak, straining the country’s already overburdened health system. More than 746,000 have gotten sick from the virus, while more than 13,300 have died. Currently, there are 138,948 active cases.
“This highly infectious, fatal disease has caused and continue to cause misery to health workers and their families. It has constantly put their safety at great risk and has even claimed lives needlessly,” FNU said.
“However, the ensuing tragedy cannot be attributed to the virus alone. We see the year-long incompetence and deficiencies in the COVID-19 response as the bigger reason for the failure to effectively reign in the pandemic,” it added.
The organization stressed that hard lockdown and militaristic approaches will not work as long as there are no free mass testing, systematic contact tracing and improved quarantine services.
“How did other countries manage to control the pandemic even before the rolling out of vaccines? They have leaders who are competent, sincere and determined to save the people from the source of the pandemic. Our country is in need of the same kind of leadership and management to get us out of this health crisis,” FNU said.
Nearly 739,000 Filipinos, mostly health workers, have received COVID-19 jabs on the first month of the country's inoculation campaign. The government aims to vaccinate 1.8 million health workers against COVID-19.
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