LOCAL government officials held a send-off ceremony for the 50 healthcare workers who will be deployed to the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus at the Montebello Villa Hotel, Cebu City on Wednesday, April 7, 2021.

“To you, our volunteers, things will get better soon. They usually do. Don’t forget to pray always, be kind, and think positive. You are a blessing to the sick and the dying. Good luck and God bless you all,” said Dr. Guy Perez, assistant regional director of the Department of Health (DOH) 7.

The medical workers present during the send-off ceremony are the first batch of the 100 to 200 healthcare professionals targeted for deployment in the NCR Plus—the term used for the National Capital Region and neighboring provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal that are under enhanced community quarantine.

READ: DOH 7 set to send 54 medical workers from Cebu to aid NCR Plus

“We healthcare workers are like soldiers,” said Dr. Gerardo Aquino Jr., medical center chief of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), recalling how he sent teams to other areas in need in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 and Negros earthquake in 2012.

He said that he recently learned from DOH that Central Visayas and VSMMC are the first region and hospital, respectively, to respond to the need for help in the NCR Plus.

The medical workers will be bringing with them medicines and convalescent plasma, including 200 units of O+ blood, 80 units of B+ blood, 50 units of A+ blood, and 25 units of AB+ blood, to be donated to NCR Plus.

During the send-off ceremony, the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino, Cebu Provincial Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, and Cebu City Government Mayor Edgardo Labella announced that they will provide the healthcare workers with cash incentives on top of their basic salary. (NRC/With KFD)