{"id":1299451,"date":"2020-06-30T11:34:30","date_gmt":"2020-06-30T03:34:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsinfo.inquirer.net\/?p=1299451"},"modified":"2020-07-02T14:43:51","modified_gmt":"2020-07-02T06:43:51","slug":"cebu-city-in-need-of-more-healthcare-workers-to-combat-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinfo.inquirer.net\/1299451\/cebu-city-in-need-of-more-healthcare-workers-to-combat-covid-19","title":{"rendered":"‘Cebu City in need of more healthcare workers to combat COVID-19’"},"content":{"rendered":"
MANILA, Philippines \u2014 Cebu City is in need of additional healthcare\u00a0 workers to deal with the coronavirus disease 2019\u00a0 (COVID-19) crisis, said Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said on Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n
Cimatu was tapped by President Duterte to oversee and supervise the COVID-19 response in Cebu City due to the rising number of cases.<\/span><\/p>\n
Cimatu said he spoke with members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases to discuss the shortage in the number of health workers in the city, which National Task Force against COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez, Jr. recently tagged as the \u201cmain focal point\u201d of the disease in the country.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cNagkukulang talaga because nagrorotation sila, overworked naman sila, overburdened so kailangan ng [augmentation]. Sa akin, if we can have 30 percent more of what we have here, at least naman makakacompensate sa pagrorotate,\u201d Cimatu, said in an interview on ABS-CBN 黑料社 Channel.<\/span><\/p>\n
(There is really a lack of medical workers here and they are overworked and overburdened. If we can have 30 percent more of what we have here, at least we can compensate for the deficiency)<\/span><\/p>\n
Cimatu added that he had observed the low morale of some health workers in the city while dealing with the pandemic.<\/span><\/p>\n
\u201cNapansin ko talaga na low morale. I went to the Vicente Sotto Hospital [Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center]. Pumunta ako doon. Nakita ko talaga, feel mo talaga na it is very malungkot sa loob,\u201d he recalled.<\/span><\/p>\n
(I noticed low morale among health workers. I went to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center. I saw and sense the low morale of some workers.)<\/span><\/p>\n
He also said that the low morale among health workers is more apparent in private hospitals, as compared to medical frontliners in public hospitals who receive hazard pay from the government.<\/span><\/p>\n
Cimatu said he is currently in talks with leaders of the business sector in the city for the provision of incentives for health workers in private hospitals.<\/span><\/p>\n