Crack down vs hoarders

(Photo by Marianna Saberon-Abalayan)
(Photo by Marianna Saberon-Abalayan)

DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio is now asking the help of the concerned government agencies in cracking down hoarders of medical and sanitary items even as Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) reported that their frontline health workers are running out of personal protective equipment (PPE), such as surgical masks, due to hoarding and panic buying.

Duterte-Carpio, in an interview via 87.5FM Disaster Radio on Friday afternoon, March 13, said she already instructed police authorities and the City Prosecutor's Office to hunt down individuals hoarding rubbing alcohols, face masks, tissues, and other sanitary items.

"We instructed the police and the Prosecutor's Office na kung pwede, they do something by investigating and conducting entrapment sa mga tao nga ga-overprice and ga-hoard sa mga grocery supplies (We instructed the police and the Prosecutor's Office to do something in this situation, by investigating and conducting entrapment against people overpricing and hoarding these grocery supplies)," the mayor said.

She also said she hasbeen receiving reports of panic buying of basic commodities in supermarkets and discouraged the public from doing such as this won’t help anyone.

"Hoarding is a waste of money because dili makatabang ang hoarding sa pag-prevent sa pagkalat sa disease (it will not prevent the spreading of disease)," Duterte-Carpio said.

She added that practicing social distance and washing of hands are still an effective method in preventing the spread of virus.

SPMC Chief of Clinics Dr. Ricardo Audan told SunStar Davao yesterday that lack of PPE is one of the challenges they are currently facing as they try to combat the dreaded disease.

Since the confirmed cases of patients for coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the country were reported in January, people have started hoarding surgical masks. Pharmaceutical stores are experiencing a shortage of supply due to the very high demand for the protective device.

When the Department of Health (DOH) reported about the Covid-19 local transmission and confirmed cases have gone up, massive hoarding and panic buying of medical supplies such as alcohol, sanitizer, and other essential items were noted. Because of this, hospitals and other health care providers are experiencing limited supply of PPE so they innovated measures to cope with the limited resources, Audan said.

With this, the Department of Health is reiterating its message to the public to refrain from wearing masks if they are in good health to avoid shortage of supply.

The DOH added that these items are reserved for health care and other frontline workers who are attending to patients with respiratory infections/symptoms such as cough and cold; entering rooms of patients under investigation or confirmed Covid-19 patients to provide care or clean/disinfect the environment or obtain a clinical specimen.

Trending

No stories found.

Just in

No stories found.

Branded Content

No stories found.
SunStar Publishing Inc.
www.sunstar.com.ph