Amid surge of its COVID-19 cases
TACLOBAN CITY- At least 16 health workers from the region left on Wednesday (April 7) for National Capital Region(NCR) where they are to be deployed to augment the medical workers there as the area continue to experience a spike of coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
The medical team, composed of one doctor and 15 nurses, were praised by Dr. Exuperia Sabalberino, regional director of the Department of Health (DOH) during a simple send-off held at the Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport, this city.
“There is a higher call for each one of you and I’m sure God will bless you in some other ways. We will be praying for your safety,” she said.
“As health workers, we have moral obligation to help those who are in despair. We are ready to respond 24/7,” Sabalberino added.
Dr. Shiena Ann Legaspi, the lone doctor of the group, said that she is just happy to respond to the call of the national government for them to help their counterparts at the NCR during this time of pandemic.
“While I am a little bit nervous I am still happy to serve during this time of pandemic,” Legaspi, who is from Cordillera Region but assigned at the rural health unit in Basey, Samar for two years now, said.
Sabalberino said that these health workers will be assigned at the Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City for a minimum of two weeks to a maximum of two months, depending the COVID-19 situation at their assigned hospital which is among the health facilities which are now in full capacity due to the high number of COVID-19 patients there.
She added that the deployed personnel have received their first doses of anti-COVID vaccine using the Sinovac except for one.
Jerson Edillo, a nurse assigned at the rural health unit of Libagon town, Southern Leyte, said that he would receive his own vaccine at the Lung Center.
“I am not afraid. Just like to be of service to patients who are in dire need due to COVID-19,” he said.
All these assigned medical workers were all DOH-hired assigned at the various rural health units in the region where there are high cases of COVID-19.
Benigno Paulino, who is assigned in a rural health unit in Sta. Margarita, Samar, said that he has enough experience in dealing with COVID-19 patients.
The 32-year old registered nurse said that he was assigned in areas in the region like Tarangnan, Samar, where there were high cases of COVID-19.
“I am ready now. I am already vaccinated and I will just try to be extra careful,” he said.
Sabalberino assured the public that despite of the deployment of these 16 medical health workers, there are still medical personnel in Eastern Visayas to answer the need if there will be a surge of COVID-19 cases in the region.
(JOEY A. GABIETA/ROEL T. AMAZONA)
