A group of health professionals said the extended enhanced community quarantine is only a short-term intervention against the spread of Covid-19 in the Philippines which failed because of lack of planning and needed reforms and sustainable programs.
Despite the lockdown, daily positive cases in the country continue to be high and the rising deaths per day threaten to overwhelm the already-exhausted healthcare system
THE Healthcare Professionals Alliance Against COVID-19 (HPAAC) believes that the two-week enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in NCR Plus was wasted, as the long-term changes needed to prevent cases from increasing were not implemented by the government.
For months now, doctors have been trying to let the government know that mobility restriction is only a short-term intervention against the virus, and is not effective if done in long-term.
It not only cripples the economy, but it also causes people to be lax from being in an exhausting situation for over a year.
According to the alliance, the government should instead focus on creating plans and efforts to fix the root causes of the pandemic.
If not, the country will continue to suffer without such plans and efforts put into action.
Despite the lockdown, daily positive cases in the country continue to be high. The daily cases and number of deaths per day continue to overwhelm the already-exhausted healthcare system and has deprived thousands of patients of the medical care they need.
Without more specific measures to tackle the root causes of the virus, the country’s healthcare system is at risk of collapsing.
In fact, most major hospitals in Metro Manila and nearby provinces are completely full and have no rooms available for patients seeking hospital care.
More than relying on quarantine measures, the government should finally begin to collaborate with numerous sectors in finding a solution to the country’s healthcare problem once and for all.
Looking at the examples of more successful countries such as Australia, Dubai, and Israel, the government should plan out similar efforts to be able to successfully eliminate the threats of COVID-19 in the Philippines as well. (OM)
Tags: #Covid19, #enhancedcommunityquarantine, #HealthcareProfessionalsAllianceAgainstCovid19