Comedienne Ethel Booba reacted to the government’s call for volunteers in response to the COVID-19 Health Emergency.
On her Twitter account, Ethel lamented how the government had the guts to ask for volunteers when, in the first place, it did not give health workers the opportunity to have good salaries and benefits in the country, which caused many to go abroad.
“Ipinagkakait sa bansa natin ang taas pasahod sa mga nurses pero ngayon sila itong andyan handang ibuwis ang buhay sa trabaho mapabuti lang tayo. Ngayon kailangan ng volunteer kasi kulang sa trabahador dahil nag-aabroad na sila. Charot!”
Ipinagkakait sa bansa natin ang taas pasahod sa mga nurses pero ngayon sila itong andyan handang ibuwis ang buhay sa trabaho mapabuti lang tayo. Ngayon kailangan ng volunteer kasi kulang sa trabahador dahil nag-aabroad na sila. Charot!
— Charot! (@IamCharotism) March 22, 2020
On Saturday, the Department of Health (DOH) issued a call for volunteer physicians and nurses to support the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire made the appeal to help fight COVID-19.
“And now we are going to call on volunteers po, magpo-post po kami, volunteer doctors, nurses… for the augmentation of staff para sa tatlong ospital po na ito.”
Meanwhile, Netizens are baffled about the government’s appeal when in fact they could actually hire and pay for the doctors and nurses.
“Seriously? Volunteer? Without pay? You ask us to put our lives at risk with no pay to care for patients who lie to us? With no enough PPE, testing kits, not enough benefits, disastrous response to health worker transpo and yet you have the audacity to call us to serve? #COVID19PH”
Serously? Volunteer? Without pay? You ask us to put our lives at risk with no pay to care for patients who lie to us? With no enough PPE, testing kits, not enough benefits, disastrous response to health worker transpo and yet you have the audacity to call us to serve? #COVID19PH pic.twitter.com/KGkCZJZ5jl
— James (@Itspjames) March 22, 2020
A tweet from Karen Claridad showed a photo of medical workers who wore plastic bags as makeshift protection gear.
Unahin ang ating mga health care workers! Just look at what they have to resort to just to protect themselves.
Trash bags!!!Yung mga politikong puro basura lang ang ambag sa bayan ang dapat itapon na sa basurahan! pic.twitter.com/6X1Gf8nXS2
— Leni Kiko All The Way! (@k_claridad) March 22, 2020
Also, medical professionals are putting their lives on the line dealing with the disease.
A thread.
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DOC, PAANO NA PO KAMI?
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As we mourn the death of a colleague who lost his life in the fight against COVID19 today, I likewise feel the lamentations of our cancer patients who rely on the services of the UP-PGH Cancer Institute. pic.twitter.com/8fnizDDYPN— Fred Ting (@fredtingmd) March 21, 2020
In a Facebook post on Saturday, March 21, the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) announced that one of its members had died as a result of COVID-19 “while performing his duties as a doctor.”
This is so sad. Doctors are dying and some critical because of irresponsible patients who are lying about their travel history!
Nakakainis! Gusto ko kayo sapukin! Nakakaawa mga doctor at frontliners may gana pa kayo mag sinungaling! Ayan namatay na ilan dahil sa inyo! pic.twitter.com/OIoOJMogzV
— JV Ejercito (@jvejercito) March 22, 2020
“It is a sad day for the whole association as we have lost one of our own in the fight against COVID. He is a casualty of this war. We honor him as he lost his young life while fulfilling his duties as a doctor, a young cardiologist and a dedicated member of PHA,” the post read.
