Vice President Leni Robredo met with doctors and hospital executives from Camarines Sur to discuss ways on how to address the recent coronavirus surge in her home province.
In a Facebook post on Monday, June 7, the vice president said that they decided to expand her office’s Bayanihan E-Ataman project, a free medical teleconsult project, to cover the entire Camarines Sur.
Currently, the Bayanihan E-Ataman, a spinoff of the Manila-based Bayanihan E-Konsulta, is only accessible in the province’s third district.
“Was invited to a meeting with doctors and representatives of the hospitals in Naga City to discuss the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Naga City and Camarines Sur and explore ways on how we can all help decongest our hospitals, some of which are already on full capacity,” Robredo said.
“As we have learned from our recent experiences, it would take a whole of community approach to stop the surge,” she added.
READ: Robredo’s free teleconsultation platform goes to Bicol
They also agreed that local government units (LGUs) must allow for home quarantine “as long as this is feasible,” which means the patient has a separate room and comfort room in the house, and for local government units to have “their own safe and comfortable isolation facilities for Covid-positive patients who are asymptomatic or those with mild symptoms, where home quarantine is not feasible.”
“We are willing to extend Bayanihan E-Ataman to cover (1) and (2), meaning they will be given COVID care kits all will be monitored daily. Patients with red-flagged symptoms will be referred to doctors and given appropriate interventions,” Robredo said.
The COVID Care Kits include a digital thermometer, pulse oximeter, face masks, sanitizers, basic medications, and a monitoring sheet.
READ: COVID Care Kits only for patients of Bayanihan E-Konsulta — Robredo
However, the vice president added that LGUs, which are also tasked to “ensure the safe travel and transport” of COVID-19 patients, must have their own supply of oxygen tanks, so these can be available to patients that can be cared for at home.
Only those who will be recommended by the doctors for hospitalization will be referred, Robredo noted.
Doctors from the Bicol Medical Center, Mother Seton Hospital, NICC Doctors Hospital, Bicol Access, St. John Hospital, CamSur Medical Society, Philippine Medical Society, and Naga City Health Board attended the meeting.