Senator Pia Cayetano said the proposed bill seeking to establish a medical reserve corps in the country should also include non-healthcare professionals.

During a Senate hearing on the proposed Medical Reserve Corps Act or Senate Bill No. 1527, Cayetano said it is imperative that the government is also able to tap personnel outside of the medical and health professions who can help in addressing a health emergency crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I think it is a misconception that we will be focusing only on health practitioners in this Medical Reserve bill. Addressing a pandemic like this, or any future crisis requires the participation of the whole of society,” Cayetano said at the Senate committee on health and demography hearing.

“So you do not have to be a scientist, you don’t have to be in the health field to actually become a member of the Medical Reserve. You would need encoders, you would need IT people, you would need people on the ground, students from all kinds of backgrounds to make this work,” she said.

Cayetano said she hopes that the measure will also consider the framework of the bill in line with the President’s call for a volunteerism frame of mind.

“I do agree that compensation is also a factor…so, the idea is to keep them in top shape so that when they are needed, they can go out in the field, and I think, they deserve some token (of appreciation). But obviously, when they are out in the field, they are out in a war, so it’s better if we also offer them a nice compensation,” she told senators.

She said members who wish to apply to be part of the Medical Reserve Corps should be proud to serve the country.

“It’s not really intended to be a major financial burden on the part of the country to include this Medical Reserves. It is an honor to be a member of the Medical Reserve,” she said.

“Of course, we have to put budget into the training that goes into it so that once they are needed, they are ready because they prepared for it. They were given the resources they needed, the support they need to really train,” she pointed out.

Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go, chair of the Senate health panel, who also filed a similar bill, Senate Bill No. 1451, had sought the establishment of a Medical Reserve Corps that shall be composed of persons who have degrees in the field of medicine, nursing, medical technology, and other health-related fields but have yet to have their respective licenses to practice.

Go said the members of the Medical Reserve Corps may be called upon and mobilized to assist the national government and the local government units (LGUs) in their functions related to addressing the medical needs of the public in times of national emergencies. He assured that those who are deployed should be properly compensated.

“The reality is, our medical personnel are strained by the number of COVID-19 patients which hinders our capacity to combat the disease immediately and effectively. Thus, we urgently see the need for a Medical Reserve Corps,” Go said.

“The establishment of the Medical Reserve Corps will uphold the role of medical and health-related personnel in nation-building and promote in them patriotism and nationalism,” the senator stressed.