March 29, 2024

The Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) urged the public not to discriminate the health workers, especially those handling persons under investigation (PUIs) and presumptive coronavirus disease-2019 (Covid-19) cases, because they do not deserve such stigma while  they are taking risks just to save lives.
BGHMC Chief Ricardo Ruñez said the hospital already received reports from the health workers on the alleged discrimination they experience and members of their families.
He said health workers handling high risk cases, such as PUIs and presumptive Covid-19 cases are fully protected when dealing with their patients to prevent them from contaminating their household members.
“We appeal to the public not to discriminate our health workers because it is not worth the sacrifices they are making just to save the lives of individuals who contracted the virus. Our health workers do not deserve such kind of stigma because they are risking their lives for the welfare of others,” Ruñez said.
He added that aside from having personal protective equipment, health workers handling high risk cases are trained to effectively and efficiently handle such cases without being infected.
He asked the public to understand the nature of the health workers’ job and appreciate their sacrifices as frontliners.
The BGHMC has been designated by the Department of Health as one of the five sub-national testing centers in the country to facilitate the conduct of the initial screening of persons under investigation and reduce the huge backlog of pending tests in the different parts of the country.
To further ensure the protection of the Covid-19 frontliners, the city government is working out the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPEs) to supply their needs, although it acknowledged the difficulty of purchasing due to the limited supply.
The private sector has been helping provide for the PPEs by donating to the local government units and to the hospitals or medical practitioners’ groups. – PIO release