Bong Go hails second batch of Visayan frontliners deployed to NCR, reaffirms gov't commitment to ensuring welfare of medical workers

Senator and Chair of the Senate Committee on Health Christopher "Bong" Go sincerely thanked the second batch of medical frontliners from the Visayas who volunteered to be deployed to overwhelmed hospitals and health care facilities in the National Capital Region following the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the region.

On Friday, April 16, a ceremonial send-off was held in Cebu City for 30 nurses from Central Visayas. Twenty nurses are assigned to the National Center for Mental Health in Mandaluyong City while the rest will be deployed to the Las Pin~as General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center.

"Last week, dumating na sa Maynila ang unang batch ng health workers mula sa Visayas, at ngayon may panibagong batch na naman na kayong ipapadala para tumulong sa mga kababayan natin sa NCR Plus areas. Maraming salamat sa inyong patuloy na pagmamalasakit sa ating kapwa Pilipino," Go said in video message.

"Bawat isa naman sa atin ay may ginagampanang papel sa laban kontra COVID-19. Hindi ito laban ng gobyerno lamang, kung hindi laban ito ng sambayanang Pilipino at ng buong mundo," he added.

Last April 8, a similar send-off was conducted for the first batch of volunteers composed of 50 medical frontliners, including 11 doctors, 35 nurses and four medical technologists, from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City and Department of Health - Central Visayas.

To address the growing need for medical human resources, the Senator had earlier appealed to health workers in non-critical areas to help boost the number of medical frontliners serving in critical areas.

In line with this call, he launched an initiative, in collaboration with the Office of the Presidential Assistant to the Visayas (OPAV), DOH regional offices, local government units, hospitals with Malasakit Centers, and Project Balik Buhay member-private hospitals, to mobilize volunteer medical frontliners to assist in the health situation.

Each volunteer will be given an additional 20% premium on their basic salary for emergency hiring, based on Bayanihan 2 funds, and a separate incentive from OPAV. A volunteer from Central Visayas shall likewise receive an additional allowance from the provincial government of Cebu and the Cebu City government.

Meanwhile, all COVID-19 testing and transportation expenses to NCR will be covered by the DOH. The receiving hospital, in turn, will shoulder all food, accommodation, and transport costs upon the volunteer's arrival.

In his message, the Senator reaffirmed that medical frontliners remain the top priority of the government's vaccination drive. He strongly advised them to get vaccinated when offered the opportunity in order to ensure they are adequately protected against the virus.

"Hindi madali ang trabaho ninyo dahil mabagsik at agresibo ang kalaban natin ngayon. Hindi natin alam kung nasaan itong COVID-19 dahil hindi natin ito nakikita. Sinisikap natin na mauuna ang mga frontliners sa bakuna dahil kayo dapat ang bigyan ng proteksyon sa giyerang ito dahil kayo ang nasa unahan, kayo ang mga frontliners," said Go.

He highlighted the importance of all sectors coming together in a holistic manner, and called for the public's cooperation in order for the country to successfully overcome the challenges brought by the ongoing crisis.

"Natutuwa ako na makita na nananatiling buhay ang diwa ng bayanihan sa kabila ng sunod-sunod na pagsubok na dumating sa bansa ... In these trying times, a whole-of-nation approach is needed to fully overcome this pandemic. I am sure that, with everybody's cooperation and support, we will be triumphant," he ended.