1PACMAN Partylist Representative Enrico “Eric” Pineda calls on hospitals to look into the possibility of treating COVID19 patients in their homes following the announcements from several hospitals of their full capacity statuses.
“Hospitals are full, we need to be proactive in looking for alternative modes of treatment, many people are not able to get the medical treatment they need because they cannot find any vacancy in hospitals,” Pineda said.
“The Philippines is number 1 in Southeast Asia in terms of COVID infections and the numbers keep rising. The number of new cases keep hitting new all time highs. If a critically ill COVID patient is not able to find medical aid due to hospitals being full, then we should consider treating them in their own homes. Doctors and nurses can make rounds visiting patients in their homes, delivering the medicine they need to recover,” the lawmaker continued.
“As medical equipment in public hospitals are limited, we need to focus on getting more medical equipment that is easy to transport that hospitals can lend to patients who are being treated at home. At the very least, the DOH should follow the example led by the Panamanian government—I received news that they send COVID positive citizens a “wellness package” so that they may recover at home,” Pineda explained. “In the package are vitamins and Ivermectin, which has been proven to reduce COVID in infected patients. Sending a package such as this is easy and even more cost effective. Which should be coupled with access to medical advice through telemedicine. The patients should be able to contact the doctors easily through the phone or via the internet for consultation. Home care is a possible solution that I think we should look into,” he finally said.