Medical professionals in CV respond to DOH’s call for more health workers 

CEBU CITY, May 28 (PIA) — Department of Health (DOH) Region 7 Director Dr. Jaime Bernadas thanked the medical practitioners who responded to the department’s call for more health workers and volunteers in their battle against COVID-19. 

During a recent virtual press conference with National Task Force Against COVID-19 Chief Implementer Sec. Carlito Galvez, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Sec. Michael Lloyd Dino, and National Task Force against COVID-19 Deputy Chief Implementor Sec. Vince Dizon, Bernadas shared that medical professionals have responded to the country’s need for more frontline workers to help combat the corona virus disease. 

“Many medical technologists, nurses, paramedical professionals and doctors initially applied as volunteers,” he shared.

Acknowledging the risk that the volunteers are exposed to, DOH hired them under contract of service to duly compensate their hard work, he added. 

The additional health personnel are vital as Central Visayas has surpassed 2,300 COVID-19 cases. 

Meanwhile, Bernadas also thanked the chief executives of the local government units in the region for passing ordinances against the discrimination of COVID-19 frontline workers.

Among them is the Cebu City Council, which passed an ordinance prohibiting any form of discrimination against frontliners earlier in April.

This after several reports of harassment towards medical workers surfaced on social media. 

Bernadas also assured the public that DOH has allocated more budget for the hiring of additional medical staff. (jkm/PIA7) 

source https://pia.gov.ph/news/articles/1043086