After President Rodrigo Roa Duterte placed Davao City under general community quarantine (GCQ) and the city’s coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) tally reached the 9,000-mark, the Department of Health (DOH) deployed additional 15 volunteer healthcare workers, referred to as “Warriors with a Heart” to assist in addressing the pandemic here.
In a new release issued by DOH on Wednesday, a total of 15 volunteer healthcare workers from Cagayan de Oro were sent to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SMPC) on November 29.
On November 30, 40 more nurses from different public hospitals in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Central Visayas (Cebu City) arrived in Davao City while nearby regions also pledged to succor the necessary healthcare workforce.
The DOH said 33 nurses and two medical technologists from Northern Mindanao will be staying in SMPC until Dec. 14, 2020 to complement the needed human resource for health in the city.
The remaining 20 nurses from Cebu city were assigned to Temporary Treatment Monitoring Facilities and Hospitals with allocated Covid-19 dedicated beds in Davao City until Dec. 31, 2020, it added.
All 55 healthcare providers had arrived safely in Davao City and were welcomed by the Center for Health Development in Region 11.
“To our valiant front-liners, we deeply thank you for your tireless dedication to our nation’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and for continuously providing care to all, especially to Covid-19 patients. Your service to your countrymen will forever be appreciated,” DOH Secretary Francisco Duque said.
The DOH Center for Health Development (CHD) Region 11 also welcomed the arrival of the additional 22 health workers on Tuesday to aid the DOH-DCHD swabbers as the local health authorities conduct a 3-day aggressive community testing in identified barangays with a high risk of Covid-19 transmission.
The Davao CHD targets to swab all close contacts of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the region in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the virus.
To date, there are 2,225 active cases in Davao City alone, and 530 active cases in other provinces in Region 11 bringing 9,250 cases in total. The region has also confirmed 6,142 total recoveries and 353 total fatalities.
“We value the bravery of all our volunteers and we laud the spirit of Bayanihan exemplified by other regions in the city’s fight against Covid-19. The support we received from other regions to help augment the Covid-19 response in Davao City is crucial in this time of crisis. It is through displays of collaboration like these that we will successfully overcome this crisis,” Duque said. (PNA)
