By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan / Philippine News Agency
The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Health (DOH) on Sunday (Oct. 10) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on the deployment of police medical personnel to hospitals experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases.
PNP Chief Police Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said the agreement will “concretize collaborative efforts in the implementation of the said program.”
Shortly after the MOA signing ceremony, 10 nurses of the PNP Health Service were formally deployed to the DOH.
“The existing manpower of hospitals is not enough to cater to the health care needs of severe and critical COVID-19 positive patients, hence we are thankful for the additional support and manpower from the PNP who will be assigned in COVID wards,” DOH-National Capital Region Director Gloria J. Balboa said.
Balboa thanked the PNP for its steadfast commitment to assisting the government’s pandemic response efforts.
“We also like to extend our gratitude for your steadfast in doing your job in the fight against COVID-19 since its start in 2020, to provide border control, rain or shine, and minimize the spread of the virus. and also in managing our isolation facilities and vaccination centers to ensure [the] safety and security of our health workers and patients, and lastly, this provision of additional manpower to our public and private hospitals like the Cardinal Santos Medical Center. This is concrete proof of our cooperation as one country, by working together to recover as one,” she added.
Eleazar said the PNP is more than prepared to support government programs for the promotion of health and for the benefit of the Filipino people.
“This pandemic has taken a toll on our beloved organization as many of our police front-liners have been infected and lost their lives due to this pandemic, yet we stood our ground without hesitation in selflessly serving our community and we shall continue to do so,” he added.
Last month, President Rodrigo Duterte appealed to the medical personnel of the police and the military to help hospitals that are overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) over the weekend announced that it launched the “Dugong Kawal-Blood Donor Network” last Oct. 8.
The “Dugong Kawal-Blood Donor Network” is a Facebook group initiated by AFP Deputy Chief-of-Staff for Operations Maj. Gen. Edgardo de Leon, with the program being implemented by the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel.
It was created to provide AFP personnel with a platform to immediately communicate and respond to their blood needs, and aims to ease coordination among members.
The group allows any AFP personnel in need of blood to request for themselves, fellow personnel, or their dependents.
Nearby members may signify their intent to donate to the requesting party through the group and talk about the details of the donation such as location and other requirements.
This group will create a pool of blood donors in the AFP that will serve as the public domain of information and channel for obtaining matches for personnel in need of blood. (with reports from Priam Nepomuceno/PNA) – jlo
