The global shortage of personal protective equipment (PPEs), and not government budget, is affecting the supply and allocation in the country, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday.
“Marami kami nababasa na sinasabi na ang budget ng DOH ay malaki at bakit daw di tayo bumili. Gusto man natin bumili ngayon, wala tayong mabilhan, kaya tayo umaasa sa donasyon ngayon (We read comments that DOH has big budget but we don’t buy PPEs. We may want to buy now, but there’s nothing available for us to buy, that’s why we rely on donations now),” DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said at the Laging Handa public briefing.
Vergeire also said there is huge demand for PPE now used by health workers in fighting coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) not only nationwide but worldwide as well.
“Kaya itong dumadating na donasyon, maingat nating pinag-aaralan at ina-allocate rationally sa lahat ng mga nangnangailangan. (So, we carefully study and allocate rationally these donations to all those who need it),” she said.
Last Saturday, the 10,000 PPEs as well 10,000 pieces of N95 masks, 100,000 surgical masks, and 100,000 Covid-19 test kits donated by China arrived in the country.
Senator Manny Pacquiao also donated 600,000 face masks to various frontliners serving the country amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Pacquiao distributed 100,000 face masks to the Philippine National Police, 50,000 to the Armed Forces of the Philippines, 75,000 to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, 75,000 to the DOH, 75,000 to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, and 50,000 to other medical workers. (PNA)
