Several celebrities and social media personalities went online to rally behind health workers and called for a medical solution to the crisis instead of focusing more on public order.
With the current situation, the government seemed focused on prioritizing law enforcement such as lockdowns and curfews without putting a sufficient amount of attention on the medical aspect of the crisis.
What it #SolusyongMedikalHindiAksyongMilitar?
In an opinion piece by Med student Lorielle Ann Aquino for Rappler, she explained why a Medical solution should be prioritized rather than a military one.
According to Aquino, a medical solution to the crisis doesn’t mean putting health workers at checkpoints but asking the government to provide adequate medical support for the frontliners and the ordinary people.
“The call for #SolusyongMedikalHindiAksyongMilitar is a call for adequate medical support. The COVID-19 pandemic is, after all, a health crisis. What we need is free, accessible healthcare for all.
We need enough funding for the mass production of the UP-developed COVID-19 test kits; free massive testing; free masks, soaps, alcohol, and medicines; mass sterilization of schools and other public places; more healthcare workers deployed especially to far-flung communities to detect infections as early as possible and to decongest hospitals; increased budget for our hospitals and emergency response teams; and enough medical supplies for our medical frontliners who risk their lives every day, without them having to beg for donations.”
She also added that medical solution is also a call for sufficient economic aid for those who are greatly affected by the crisis.
“The call for #SolusyongMedikalHindiAksyongMilitar is a call for adequate economic aid. In any crisis, it is always the poor that are most severely affected. The farmers. The contractual workers. The jeepney drivers. Those who can’t work from home. Those who don’t even have homes. Those who only have enough money to get through the day, not for stocking up on food and medical supplies. Those who can’t afford to self-quarantine or be admitted into a hospital and risk leaving their families to starve. Those who don’t even have the means to go to the nearest hospital or health center.”
The call was echoed by several celebrities on Twitter so hopefully it will be amplified and read the authorities tasked to manage the crisis.
Film director Pepe Diokno in a tweet gave a simple suggestion to manage the risk of spreading the virus.
He said it will not be enough that we follow the stringent lockdowns guidelines because there will still be the risk of spreading the virus if it will not be addressed medically just as conducting mass testing.
“Disiplina muna bago solusyong medikal? Even if we follow all the rules, we can get sick just by going to work or buying groceries. Checkpoint scans don’t catch asymptomatic cases; incubation phase is 2-14 days. Want to stop the virus and calm ppl down? CONDUCT FREE MASS TESTING.”
Disiplina muna bago solusyong medikal? Even if we follow all the rules, we can get sick just by going to work or buying groceries. Checkpoint scans don’t catch asymptomatic cases; incubation phase is 2-14 days. Want to stop the virus and calm ppl down? CONDUCT FREE MASS TESTING.
— Pepe Diokno (@PepeDiokno) March 15, 2020
ABS-CBN reporter Kevin Manalo also elaborated on what ‘solusyong medical’ means.
He said it contains a health-driven approach to the crisis and implementing policies that are medically based.
“When people say, ‘solusyong medical’ it means: – Approaching the crisis with a health-driven perspective. – Developing solutions based on medical advisories. – Controlling the spread of disease by testing individuals, asap. – Implementing policies that have a medical basis.”
When people say, ‘solusyong medical’ it means:
– Approaching the crisis with a health-driven perspective.
– Developing solutions based on medical advisories.
– Controlling the spread of disease by testing individuals, asap.
– Implementing policies that have a medical basis.— Kevin Manalo (@kevinmanalo_) March 15, 2020
Rappler reporter Bea Cupin also shared that solusyong medical is not about pulling out police at the checkpoints and putting medical practitioners there but knowing the government’s response to limited testing kits and limited PPEs of the frontliners.
“When people ask for medical, not military solutions, they don’t mean na literally yung doctor, nurse, at iba pang health worker ang gagawing front-liner sa checkpoints ANO BA. We want to know: are the testing kits coming in? Are our health workers given proper protective gear?”
When people ask for medical, not military solutions, they don't mean na literally yung doctor, nurse, at iba pang health worker ang gagawing front-liner sa checkpoints ANO BA.
We want to know: are the testing kits coming in? Are our health workers given proper protective gear?
— Bea Cupin (@beacupin) March 15, 2020
Musician Bullet Dumas, meanwhile shared Agot Isidro’s Facebook post showing how the lockdown didn’t totally address the problems because some people still need to go out for work especially the frontliners.
Screencapped with her permission. pic.twitter.com/eJ0AsRWqjv
— Bullet Dumas (@bulletdumas) March 16, 2020
