Private medical frontliners get CH cash incentives

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City government released yesterday the cash incentives for private medical frontliners in the battle against Covid-19.

During the surge of COVID-19 cases in the city, it was found out that private medical workers are overworked yet paid way less than those in the government hospitals.

This prompted Secretary Roy Cimatu, the overseer here, to suggest to the city government to give cash incentives for them.

With the full support of the City Council, Mayor Edgardo Labella was able to allocate P10,000 each for three months to 1,800 medical frontliners from private hospitals in the city as validated by the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc.

“We are here, not only to distribute the cash incentives, but to express our sincerest thanks and gratitude to the private health workers helping us in flattening the curve,” said Labella in a turnover ceremony at Chong Hua Hospital, one of the nine private hospitals here.

The distribution was done per hospital and the first release is the incentive intended for the month of August.

Dr. Helen Po, CHH’s chief operation officer, thanked the city government along with RAFI for acknowledging their efforts.

“Although the fight is not yet over, this acknowledgement of the efforts of the medical community in this pandemic, this indeed would boost the morale of our already exhausted health care workers. We would like to see it as what lies ahead as a community. When efforts are recognized, it makes one wants to continue to work hard, if not harder with each other,” said Po.

Po added that Cebu City has proven itself that it can work as one for one common goal.

“There is nothing we cannot do, no problem that we cannot overcome, not even Covid-19!” said Po.

On the other hand, Dr. Yong Larrazabal, president and chairman of the Board of the Cebu Doctors’ Group of Hospitals, also acknowledged the efforts of Labella that even all the criticisms in addressing the COVID-19 early on, “he remained to be a gentleman.”

Single Digit

Meanwhile, Lapu-Lapu City has registered a “single digit” figure based on their daily COVID-19 case report while showing a 92.3 percent recovery rate last October 27.

City Health Office (CHO) Epidemiological Surveillance Officer Grace Mary Chan-Carungay said that of the 296 swab samples processed last October 27, all were tested negative.

The CHO COVID report showed one case last October 20 followed by nine cases on October 21, 10 on October 22, two cases on October 23, six cases on October 24, two on October 25, one on October 26 and zero on October 27.

As of October 27, the city has 2,444 confirmed cases but 2,257 have already recovered.

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan, during the swab testing of 4,000 tricycle drivers in the city where two were found positive to have been infected with the COVID-19 virus, remained optimistic that the city will be the first city to return to a normal life.

Despite flattening the curve, Chan continues to remind his constituents to still follow the safety protocols like wearing a face mask and face shield, proper and regular hand washing or alcohol sanitizing and maintaining social distance. — Decemay P. Padilla and Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon, GMR (FREEMAN)