Doctors, nurses, and medical staff in the Philippines have been working tirelessly to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
However, shortages are leaving frontline workers dangerously ill-equipped to care for infected patients due to limited access to supplies such as gloves, medical masks, respirators, goggles, face shields, gowns, and aprons.
The main concern is if healthcare workers are exposed unnecessarily, they will have to be isolated or quarantined or will themselves become ill.
If they begin to get sick in high numbers during a virus outbreak, it may amplify the already high levels of strain on the health care system.
Amidst the shortage, some Filipinos are resorting to their resourcefulness and creativity to address the shortage of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers.
Transforming plastic bottles into face shields
Ready to help out in his own way is 26-year-old eco-artist JC Enon.
From the Palawan province, JC has designed a way to transform plastic bottles into face shields. Instead of wasting energy in posting angry rants and venting frustrations over the country’s problems, he decided to make better use of his time in finding a solution.
“Let's stop complaining. If there's something we can do, and we know it is the right thing to do, why not do it? Let's start thinking of solutions in slowing this virus.“
Source: JC Enon
JC’s first prototype is made up of clean transparent 1.5-litre plastic bottles or acetate plastic, double-sided tape, thermal foam, and garter. These shields extend from the eyebrows to below the chin and across the width of the head.
The face shields protect the eyes, nose, and mouth against potential splashes or sprays of liquids or body fluids when someone sneezes or coughs. He recommends it is best worn with a face mask.
His Face Shield Project has gained support from the Philippine Red Cross-Palawan Chapter, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) and Junior Chamber International(JCI) Puerto Princesa Oil chapter, in the production and distribution of the PPEs. Several volunteers are also visiting their production hub to help.
The PRC Palawan reported that as of March 17, the project has produced 1,489 face shields and served 21 frontline agencies.
Source: JC Enon
Source: JC Enon
JC has uploaded instructional videos of the improvised face shield on social media and has gathered positive responses from netizens.
Trash bags as an alternative coverall
With the very limited PPE supply, nurses Mariel Bernardo and husband Vincent from Lipa City, Batangas, decided to use rubbish bags as an alternative coverall to keep themselves protected from the disease.
Only one set of full PPE for each staff is remaining in the hospital where they work and with the increasing number of cases of COVID-19, being more innovative is their only way forward.
“I don't want to blame anyone for the shortage. My purpose is to let the public know that we try our best to be of service and help others in times of crisis.”
The hospital where Mariel works has the budget to purchase extra PPE for the medical staff, but supplies can take months to deliver and market manipulation is widespread, with stocks frequently sold to the highest bidder.
Source: Mariel Bernardo
The Philippines' health department secretary Francisco Duque III previously said that one PPE set costs Php1,500 (AUD $50), including headgear, goggles, an N95 mask, gloves, apron, and gown. That's around Php7.5 million (AUD $251,000) for one PPE set for each of the 5,000 frontliners alone.
“Our hospital is also experiencing a shortage of supplies. Others are even begging hoarders to stop.
"Let's think about our frontliners who need these supplies the most," the health secretary said.
During disease outbreaks, healthcare workers put their own safety at risk to care for others. They rely on personal protective equipment to protect themselves and their patients from being infected and infecting others.
Bernardo Family Source: Mariel Bernardo
Mariel fears not only for her own health but for potentially putting her own children’s health at risk.
“My husband and I work in a hospital. We have a one-year-old and a seven-month-old. We take turns taking care of them. I'm really concerned about bringing the virus home."
Sacrifices such as these have become part and parcel of life for those working on the frontline in the fight against the highly contagious COVID-19 virus.
Filipinos' Bayanihan spirit
The World Health Organization (WHO) has so far shipped nearly half a million sets of personal protective equipment to 47 countries, but supplies are rapidly depleting. More than two thousand kilos of personal protective equipment (PPE) has been sent to the Philippines' health department.
With the hope that bayanihan or 'community spirit' will make the long shifts become more bearable for frontliners, several groups in the Philippines have initiated a donation drive for medical supplies.
Source: JC Enon
The office of the Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo and its partner-donors were able to raise as much as Php 12.3 million (AUD $415,000) to buy more personal protective equipment (PPE) sets for health workers.
While the country's Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr said that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi informed him that China has allotted 100,000 testing kits, 10,000 N95 masks, 10,000 personal protective equipment sets, and 100,000 surgical masks for the country.
As of Wednesday, a total of 202 patients have tested positive for COVID-19 in the Philippines, fatalities still stand at 17 with 7 recovered.
President Rodrigo Duterte placed the country's largest island, Luzon, under enhanced community quarantine and declared a state of public emergency in the Philippines.
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