China to send doctors to PH

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte poses for posterity with Resident Ambassador-Designate of the People’s Republic of China to the Philippines Huang Xilian at the Malacañan Palace on December 4, 2019. KING RODRIGUEZ/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA — China is dispatching a team of medical experts to help the Philippines combat the rapid increase of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the country.

“The main task of the medical expert team is to help the Philippines fight against Covid-19 by providing technical advice on epidemic prevention and control as well as sharing medical treatment experience,” the Chinese Embassy in Manila said in a statement.

Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian said the move was “upon the request of the Philippine government”.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, for his part, pledged that the Department of Health would coordinate with the Embassy to facilitate and assure the work of the medical expert team goes smoothly.

Huang and Duque discussed the latest cooperation details over the phone on Monday. As of posting, the Embassy has yet to reveal the number of doctors who will arrive and when.

Beijing has earlier donated more than 100,000 test kits for Covid-19 as well as various essential medical supplies to the Philippine government.