For a humanitarian organization that has a long history of helping communities in various settings, 2020 is so far the “most challenging year” so far.
Despite the ongoing COVID-19 situation in the country, coupled with a string typhoons that devastated various parts of the country, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) remains hopeful Filipinos will be able to recover through solidarity.
“As we move forward, we look back in a tumultuous year,” said PRC Chairman and CEO Sen. Richard Gordon.
Since the end of last year until the beginning of 2020, he noted that the PRC has been able to respond to a series of disasters such as the Mindanao earthquake, the Taal Volcano eruption, the COVID pandemic, and the consecutive typhoons “Rolly” and “Ulysses.”
As the PRC continues to be at the heart of calamities and the pandemic by “providing response and relief to the most vulnerable,” Gordon recognized its partners and donors who were within reach to help PRC help those who have been affected.
“Without the people who lent their hand, we will not be here,” he added.
EFFORTS IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19
The efforts of PRC have been very crucial as the country continues its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
PRC’s contribution to the COVID-19 testing has been recognized by the Department of Health (DoH). In October, PRC announced that has reached another milestone in the fight against COVID-19 when it conducted one million tests.
(Philippine Red Cross / MANILA BULLETIN)
“The Philippines, just like other countries in the world, is going through the wringer in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic but it would win against the unseen enemy with immediate action and collaboration,” Gordon said.
On Oct. 15, PRC briefly stopped conducting free coronavirus tests for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), medical frontliners, and others due to the unpaid debts of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. It resumed COVID-19 testing on Oct. 27 after the State health insurer partially settled its debt to the PRC.
Aside from COVID-19 testing, PRC also embarked on setting up molecular laboratories in various parts of the country.
(Philippine Red Cross / MANILA BULLETIN)
PRC also opened its convalescent plasma center after medical experts from the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila attested that the convalescent plasma therapy has proven to be an effective treatment, “with 90 percent of patients, who have undergone the said treatment, recovering from the disease.”
PRC also distributed face masks to frontline healthcare workers, outbound OFWs, and personal protective equipment to government agencies with high risk of exposure and later on to hospitals accepting suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases.
OTHER INITIATIVES
While its efforts are mainly focused on the ongoing fight against COVID-19, PRC continues to pursue other initiatives.
In spite of the challenges of travelling to far-flung places with quarantine protocols still up in some areas, PRC continued its mass immunization program.
PRC announced early this month that it has achieved twice the target for the supplemental vaccinations for measles-rubella and oral polio, offering protection for the children from these life-threatening diseases.
Gordon said that the PRC puts a high premium on the health and welfare of children.
“We are always in pursuit of maximizing the number of children immunized because this ensures not only their well-being but also their future,” he added.
To help their lives return to a semblance of normalcy, PRC helped the most vulnerable families whose lives were shattered by the onslaught of Rolly and Ulysses.
During the height of typhoons’ onslaughts, PRC conducted search and rescue operations as well as attended to the injured.
Psychosocial assistance was also provided by tracing relatives who got separated.
PRC provided hot meals to thousands of individuals in the affected areas and distributed cash assistance as well as non-food items as part of its relief distribution operations.
In November, PRC sent the M/V PRC Amazing Grace to Catanduanes to bring hope and assistance to the affected communities.
The M/V PRC Amazing Grace is the country’s first and only humanitarian vessel. It was commissioned by the PRC as an ambulance and disaster response ship.
Despite the challenging year, PRC remains hopeful that those who are struggling with the impact of COVID-19 as well as those who were severely affected by the recent typhoons will be able to recover.
“As we keep moving forward, we look back and see how far we've come,” Gordon said.
“We never knew we'd make it this far, but in our heart of hearts we knew that the country needs us more than ever,” he added.
As it did this year, PRC said that it will continue to do “what is best for our countrymen especially (for) the most vulnerable members in our society.”