Public, private hospitals will be given PPE, medical supplies

FILE: Personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators are unloaded from a plane at the NAIA Terminal 1 on Sunday (April 5, 2020). (PNA photo by Joey O. Razon)

MANILA – The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) assured that all hospitals — public and private — will receive personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies for their health workers in the front lines against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Cabinet Secretary and IATF spokesperson Karlos Nograles made this assurance after Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines (PHAP) President, Dr. Rustico Jimenez said some private hospitals have not yet received PPE sets from government or donations.

Nograles said the authorities will be looking into the PHAP’s concerns.

“We’ll check this out with DOH but nasa records po namahagi kami kahit sa private po (but it’s in our records that we have given PPE gears to private hospitals),” he said.

Under the Bayanihan to Health As One Act (Republic Act 11469), the government must prioritize the immediate allocation and distribution of PPE, testing kits, and other medical supplies and equipment.

All donated medicines and medical supplies and equipment to address Covid-19 must be coordinated with and transmitted to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) for consolidation, as provided in Administrative Order No. 27.

Early last week, OCD administrator Ricardo Jalad said the office has started the distribution of PPE sets to hospitals tagged as Covid-19 referral centers.

Jalad said 2,780 PPE sets were delivered to San Lazaro Hospital, 2,000 to Philippine General Hospital, 770 to East Avenue Medical Center, 2,800 to Lung Center of the Philippines, 2,590 to Dr. Jose Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium, and 1,100 to Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center.

Each PPE set consists of a pair goggles, coverall, head cover, gloves, shoe cover, surgical mask, and a surgical gown.

More PPE sets are expected to arrive between April 6 to 24, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

In recognition of their sacrifice, the government is giving PHP1-million compensation to health workers who die while battling Covid-19.

Public and private health workers who may contract severe Covid-19 infection while in the line of duty will also get PHP100,000 compensation.

Free Covid-19 treatment for all

As part of government efforts to reduce the rate of Covid-19 transmission, Nograles also reminded the public that the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) will shoulder the full cost of treatment of Covid-19 cases.

Below are the approved benefit packages to cover the cost of treatment for all Covid-19 patients:

— Covid-19 (SARS CoV-2) testing: PHP8,150 (all components covered by package), PHP5,450 (if the test kits are donated), PHP2,710 (PRC testing unbundled)

— Community isolation: PHP22,449 (with local government unit overhead)

— Mild pneumonia (elderly): PHP43,997

— Moderate pneumonia: PHP143,267

— Severe pneumonia: PHP333,519

— Critical pneumonia: PHP786,384

PhilHealth shall cover all Covid-19 tests conducted outside hospitals or in non-hospital facilities such as laboratories provided that the facilities are accredited by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Nograles said.

He said these benefit packages shall be reviewed within 30 days from the date of implementation in order to adjust the rates.