Iloilo faces PPE shortage

By Joseph B.A. Marzan

The Iloilo Provincial Government has raised concerns over the depleting supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in hospitals in Iloilo province amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Provincial Administrator Atty. Suzette Mamon said the Provincial Government is having difficulties looking for suppliers of PPEs.

She added that the Provincial Government has started looking for basic materials and has also been enlisting dressmakers to make PPEs.

“We’re doing our best, looking for suppliers. We’re looking for basic materials and if there are dressmakers who can make PPEs, we look for materials to make the PPEs, so we can give it to our local hospitals in the province, so they can attend to our [Persons Under Investigation],” she said.

Persons Under Investigation (PUI) are those who show symptoms of COVID-19, with a known history of contact with a confirmed positive case of the disease and/or history of travel in places with confirmed cases in the Philippines or abroad.

The Provincial Government has also been actively responding to the lack of PPEs in Sara town.

This, after Sara Councilor Jeneda Salcedo called for additional PPEs for the Sara District Hospital, saying that the medical staff used plastic bags in place of proper PPEs.

Mamon said that Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. himself looked for materials that the hospital can use.

“The governor himself went out to Iloilo City and looked for materials that they can use. He went with [Hospital Management Office head Dr. Cynthia Ng] and [General Services Office Head Aaron Raymundo],” she said.

As of April 5, 2020, Iloilo Province has 12 confirmed COVID-19 cases.