The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) has expressed its extreme sadness on the lack of health facilities where persons afflicted with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) may be brought and be attended to.
Commissioner Gwen Pimentel-Gana likened the hospital situation in Metro Manila to “the plight of Mama Mary right before she gave birth to Jesus Christ and there was no room in the inn.”
"It pains me to even think about it," she lamented.
She said she has been hearing stories of people waiting in hospital lobbies because there are no more rooms available. Other people have called countless contacts just to help them secure a spot in any hospital, but to no avail, she added.
In many instances, she pointed out that some people even drive from one hospital to another in search of rooms, but they were met with rejections.
She pointed out that stories like these are "nakakabahala" (disturbing) and reveal the lack of resources of local government units, which the national government needs to address.
Pimentel-Gana reacted to the statement of retired Gen. Restituto Padilla, spokesperson of the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF), who said in a radio interview that the reason why hospitals all over Metro Manila are currently overwhelmed with the COVID-19 health crisis is because no new health infrastructures were built over the past few years.
During the Tanggol Karapatan episode on "Usapang Bakuna Laban sa COVID-19: World Health Day" hosted by Radyo Veritas on Saturday, April 10, Padilla admitted that the country's health system has failed because health development has been overlooked. "Hindi po talaga nabigyan ng pansin (It wasn't given any attention)," he said.
After the National Kidney and Transplant Institute was established in 1981, the Philippine Heart Center in 1975, and the National Children's Hospital in 1979, Padilla said that no other health facilities were built. "After those were put up, wala na po sumunod (nothing came after)," he said.Unless the country focuses on creating new health infrastructures, Padilla warned that future health concerns will be a "continuing problem" for the country. "It's about time we take a very concrete step in developing our health system that will make us resilient in these kinds of emergency situations," he stressed.
When she asked Padilla what the government is doing about the current situation, he said they are remedying the situation in two ways.
First, Padilla said, they are adding augmentation facilities through the help of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
"Ang DPWH ay tumutulong (is helping) through temporary facilities outside the hospital," he said. But he admitted that this solution is "hindi pa sapat" (not enough) because the surge of COVID-19 cases this year is very different from the situation last year.
The second way is through the "step down system" being implemented by the One Hospital Command, wherein a patient, who is in the process of getting better, is discharged from the hospital so that his or her room can be given to a new patient.
Padilla added that they are even reinforcing health workers outside Metro Manila now just to provide support to overwhelmed health workers. They are tapping help from Batangas, Pampanga, and even Sorsogon, he added.