To address the Covid-19 situation in Davao City, the Department of Health (DOH) sent volunteer health-care workers, referred to as “Warriors with a Heart” after President Duterte ordered the city placed under General Community Quarantine.
The Covid-19 tally in the city reached the 9000-mark.
To further help in the city’s response, nearby regions also pledged to send the necessary health workforce; at least 15 additional volunteer health-care workers were deployed on November 29 to the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC). They were from Cagayan De Oro.
The next day, 40 more nurses from different public hospitals in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Central Visayas (Cebu City), arrived in Davao City.
Thirty-five of these frontliners, who include 33 nurses and two medical technologists from Northern Mindanao, will be staying in SPMC until December 14.
Meanwhile, the remaining 20 nurses from Cebu City were assigned to Temporary Treatment Monitoring Facilities and Hospitals with allocated Covid-19 dedicated beds in Davao City until December 31.
All 55 health-care providers have arrived safely in Davao City and were welcomed by the Center for Health Development in Region XI.
“To our valiant frontliners, we deeply thank you for your tireless dedication to our nation’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and for continuously providing care to all, especially to Covid-19 patients. Your service to your countrymen will forever be appreciated,” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III said.
There were also 22 health workers who arrived on December 1, to aid the swabbers as the local health authorities conduct a 3-day Aggressive Community Testing in identified barangays with a high risk of Covid-19 transmission.
The Davao Center for Health Development targets to swab all close contacts of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the region in an attempt to mitigate the spread of the virus.
To date, there are 2,225 active cases in Davao City alone, and 530 active cases in other provinces in Region XI, bringing 9,250 cases in total. Moreover, the region has confirmed 6,142 total recoveries and 353 total fatalities.
“We value the bravery of all our volunteers and we laud the spirit of Bayanihan exemplified by other regions in the city’s fight against Covid-19. The support we received from other regions to help augment the Covid-19 response in Davao City is crucial in this time of crisis. It is through displays of collaboration like these that we will successfully overcome this crisis,” Duque emphasized.