DOH: Over 5,000 health workers hired to augment COVID-19 response

MANILA, Philippines — Over 5,000 health workers have been accepted in the emergency hiring of the Department of Health (DOH) to augment the medical workforce responding to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire bared the figure on Friday as she assured that the DOH is strengthening its human resources for the health sector amid the COVID-19 crisis.

“As of July 9 5 p.m. there are 5,143 HRH (human resources for health) hired out of the 8,732 approved slots for emergency hiring in 307 health facilities,” she said in a media forum.

Data from the DOH showed the following distribution of hired workers in the different facilities:

●  3.6 percent in Bureau of Quarantine managed quarantine facilities and airport units
● 15.7 percent in COVID-19 diagnostic facility (including reference laboratories)
● 6.6 percent in COVID-19 referral facility
● 0.8 percent in Epidemiology and Surveillance Units
● 43.1 percent in DOH hospitals
● 10.4 percent in LGU and other hospitals
● 0.9 percent in Mega Ligtas COVID-19 Centers
● 14.9 percent in Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility,
● 0.1 percent in Primary Care Facility,
● 0.6 percent for other healthcare facilities (Philippine Red Cross), and
● 3.3 percent in private health facilities (Region VII)

Vergeire assured that the DOH continues to prepare the country’s health system so that it will be ready in case COVID-19 confirmed cases reach more than 100,000 by the end of August as predicted by Dr. Guido David of the UP-OCTA Research.

“Kailangan lang maging cooperative lahat ng ating mga components ng health system so that we will be able to cope sa ganitong pangyayari,” said the health official.

(We just need to be cooperative in the components of the health system so that we will be able to cope with these situations.)

The DOH met with some officials of hospitals in Metro Manila to give them guidance on the allocation of beds and critical case resources as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to swell.

As of Thursday, the number of infection cases in the country has already reached 51,754 with an additional 1,395 fresh and late cases. The death toll stands at 1,314, while 12,813 patients have recovered.

/MUF