THE Department of Health (DOH) is seeking P5.2 billion for the hiring of 17,700 health personnel to augment government workers in priority health facilities combating the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), President Duterte said in a report to Congress.
The President, in the 19-page report, said the DOH submitted a request for the P5.2-billion budget to the Department of Budget and Management on April 15.
It is Duterte’s fourth report to Congress, a requirement under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act that provides at least P200 billion in supplemental funds for the efforts to contain the COVID pandemic.
The P5.2 billion requested by the DOH amount would go to the hiring of “15,757 human resources for health and 2,000 deputized physicians” who would be deployed to priority health facilities like the Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Hospital and the Sanitarium, the Lung Center of the Philippines, the Philippine General Hospital the Research and Institute for Tropical Medicine and other national quarantine facilities and hospitals designated for the COVID-19 response, the report said.
The additional personnel would augment the 734 health workers hired by DOH and deployed in different hospitals last April 16.
Duterte said there are 693 hospitals and quarantine facilities — composed of 72 DOH hospitals, 232 local government hospitals, 381 private hospitals and eight quarantine facilities — that are being used in the COVID response with a total capacity of 8,714 patients.
The Department of Public Works and Highway has also converted 36 evacuation centers, with a 1,415-bed capacity, into quarantine facilities.
There are 6,459 positive cases in the Philippines, with 613 recoveries and 428 deaths, as of Monday.
The report also said that as of April 16, 42,215 individuals have been tested and 48,171 samples have been processed, resulting in an “average of 1,164 to 3,408 tests conducted daily.” The government targets to raise the COVID testing to 8,000 a day.
CONTACT TRACING REDUCED
President Duterte emphasized a need to strengthen the contact tracing efforts after it reported a decrease in the number of contacts traced by government last week compared to week before that.
“As of 16 April 2020, the DOH has traced a total of 7,251 contacts. The decrease from previous week’s count of 8,973 contacts was due to data cleaning under OPLAN Complete Case Information.”
The government has tapped the Department of Interior and Local Government to help the DOH in its contact tracing efforts.
DISPOSITION OF SEIZED PPES
President Duterte also reported on government efforts to expedite the disposition of medical equipment, supplies and other items that have been confiscated by government during operations and against overpricing, hoarding, or violation of tariff and customs laws.
The President said at least P11.9 million worth of goods have been confiscated during several operations that resulted in the arrest of 45 persons.
A joint circular for the disposition of the seized goods is being prepared which states that “confiscated good shall be seized through summary proceedings, and pending formal investigations and prosecution, the same shall be forfeited in favour of the government.”
TAKING CARE OF THE PEOPLE
President Duterte reported about on the status of different subsidy and relief assistance programs implemented by the different departments during the past weeks, like the P5,000 to P8,000 social amelioration subsidy for low-income families; the P5,000 to P8,000 small business wage subsidy for formal workers from small businesses; and loan programs for micro, small and medium enterprises like the Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-asenso (P3) which seeks to provide loans at a 0.5 percent interest per month and the zero percent interest Expanded SURE Aid and Recovery Project loan program for marginalized farmers and fishermen.
He reassured the public that the government still has funds to cover the current programs to combat COVID-19.
He said of the P246-billion COVID fund, P148 billion has been released to concerned agencies.
Apart from the aid, Duterte said the Board of Pardons and Parole is expediting the review of the cases of select prisoners to determine if they can be released to decongest jails.
The review covers prisoners who are old, sick with terminal illness or serious disabilities, and those eligible for parole and executive clemency.
There are calls to release prisoners with minor offenses to decongest the prisons to avoid the spread of the virus.
