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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider VP's wish: More testing kit for suspected COVID-19 patients

VP's wish: More testing kit for suspected COVID-19 patients

Published Mar 23, 2020 12:00 am
By Raymund Antonio Vice President Leni Robredo's wish is for more testing kits and financial assistance for vulnerable sectors. Vice President Leni Robredo (OVP / MANILA BULLETIN) Vice President Leni Robredo
(OVP / MANILA BULLETIN) On Monday, Robredo posted her own wish list for the budget realignment during the special session of Congress. Robredo said she wants Congress to realign the budget for the health sector in need of enough protective equipment (PPE), testing kits, and medical equipment like ventilators and oxygen. The vice president underscored the need for the administration to provide hospitals with sufficient medical equipment and beds for COVID-19 patients. ”New hospital wings for COVID 19 patients. Some experts are saying this can be done at the Jose Rodriguez Memorial Hospital or Quezon Institute where space still allows,” she said. Also included in her wish list are additional compensation and access to temporary housing facilities for front liners, isolation areas for persons under investigation and under monitoring. The opposition leader pushed for safety nets like unconditional cash transfers and food security for the poor, cash aid for daily wage earners,and economic packages for affected business establishments. Both chambers of Congress convened in a special session to discuss measures that will authorize President Duterte to realign portions of the 2020 budget in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. The Philippines now has 396 confirmed coronavirus cases and 33 deaths. The Office of the Vice President had already raised P23.5 million as of March 22 from its fund drive with private partner Kaya Natin! Movement to aid health workers and frontliners. Read more: NGO accepts donations for needs of frontline health workers Of this amount, the OVP donated a total of P11.2 million for the purchase of PPE sets and extraction kits that were given to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) in Alabang, Muntinlupa.
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