"Rather than insult them, the DOH must work doubly hard to protect them."
"Rather than insult them, the DOH must work doubly hard to protect them."
As mother to two doctors who are at the front lines of fighting COVID-19, I know very well how they are trying their best to stay safe. The struggle of our health care workers in treating patients and saving lives is public knowledge. Their lives have radically changed in and out of work.
Because they are constantly exposed to the virus, they can be carriers. We can only imagine the steps they take so they do not pass the virus to their families. Their personal lives are drastically different. There are HCWs who no longer go home to be sure that they do not spread the virus and that their families are safe. Those who go home and with families make sure that social distancing and disinfecting are strictly followed. Imagine HCW parents not being able to cuddle, hug, and kiss their kids.
In the case of my daughter and son-in-law, we all decided that the best thing to do is for their two kids, aged five and nine years old to stay with me instead of them. We have been doing this since the start of the lockdown to keep the kids safe and for them to not worry too much and concentrate on their work.
However, both doctors needed to go on self-quarantine after being exposed to colleagues who tested positive of COVID-19. During this time, while they both stayed home, they also perpetually wore masks, disinfected everything, and observed strict social distancing by dividing the areas of their home to avoid the possibility of passing the virus to each other. It is good that both tested negative for the virus, and were given the clearance to resume work in their respective hospitals.
The kids connected with them virtually every day through video calls, pictures, videos, and audio messages. While the kids are fully informed of what is happening and why they could not be with mom and dad, it still breaks my heart when at times, our five- year-old would ask why they could not stay in their home, or why mommy and daddy could not come to visit. For a family that is very close to each other, this is very difficult.
It was only this week that my two doctors were able to visit their children. Even so, because of their constant exposure to COVID-19, they stayed outside and talked with the kids who were at the deck just so they could see and hear their mom and dad. Seeing this broke my heart especially when our little boy repeatedly shouted I love yous, threw multiple heart “bombs” to his parents, and followed their car with longing gaze as it was leaving until he could no longer see it. He could not articulate his feelings but we very well understood.
I certainly do not want this as the “new normal” for my family.
Multiply scenes like this with the number of families of HCWs that need to adapt because of this virus, and perhaps we will better understand how this pandemic is affecting HCWs in more ways than one.
I am not even talking about those who get the virus and those who have perished because of it, directly or indirectly.
This is why I got very frustrated when last Thursday, the Department of Health said that the possible reason for high COVID-19 infection rate among health care workers is NOT the lack of personal protective equipment. The Health department said that HCWs get the virus outside their workplaces.
This statement is not only untrue but most absurd. It accuses our HCWs of carelessness. It mocks them as dumb. Has the DOH forgotten that some of the doctors whom we lost to COVID-19 were very well respected and considered as among the best in their fields? Surely, the DOH is aware that the HCWs it insulted are the same ones saving our people’s lives.
The statement is baseless. This, perhaps is the reason why no data or any proof was presented when the statement was made.
The Philippines’ COVID-19 situation, unfortunately, is worse than in most countries. As of April 22, officially, there were a total of 6,710 cases, 693 recoveries, and 446 deaths. However, not a few people believe that there are a lot more cases and deaths owing to the fact that the number of tested Filipinos remains quite low, and people have been dying untested or before test results are known.
The numbers of COVID-19 positive health care workers and those who have died in the performance of their responsibilities are quite high. In a recent statement, the World Health Organization expressed that the number of HCWs afflicted with COVID-19 was very disturbing. As of April 17, 766 HCWs were positive and this was 13 percent of the total number of person that had the disease. This was much higher than the 2 to 3 per- cent average in the 22 countries that make up the Western Pacific region. 339 of the 766 COVID-19+ patients were doctors and 242 were nurses. From 766 on April 17, this jumped to 1,062 on April 22, or nearly 19 percent of all cases in the Philippines. This is VERY BAD.
The number of medical doctors who perished is the highest worldwide. According to former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral, at least 10 percent of all COVID-19 deaths are those of HCWs. As of April 20, an independent initiative to come out with a list of HCWs who died of COVID-19 indicated that 24 medical doctors and three (3) nurses have so far perished. It is probable that there are more who are not included in the list because the Department of Health does not release names.
Why are our HCWs getting COVID-19 and dying? Primarily, it is because they are not adequately protected. That there has been an acute shortage of personal protective equipment is public knowledge. In fact it is the private sector that responded more to the appeals of most hospitals for PPEs than government.
Towards the end of March, the DOH said that it procured around one million sets of PPEs. However, the number of what has already been distributed up to now is just a fraction of this number. No wonder, HCWs continue to depend on the private sector more than government.
If all our HCWs refuse to work even just for a day the whole health system will collapse. Rather than blame and insult them, the DOH must work doubly hard to protect our HCWs. Without them, we will all be dead.
@bethangsioco on Twitter Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook