DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio will donate her P2.1-million annual salary for health workers of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) who were infected with the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) while performing their duties.
The mayor announced her decision on Tuesday evening, April 14, to donate her salary for the year, which is P2,144,256, to be used as trust fund after SPMC chief Dr. Leopoldo Vega announced on Monday, April 13, that 12 frontline health workers at the hospital have tested positive for the coronavirus, which causes Covid-19.
Duterte-Carpio said each Covid-positive health worker will receive P50,000.
She said she will be the one to give money to the SPMC frontliners once she receives a list from the hospital.
The mayor said her personal cash assistance is on top of the medical assistance that the local government would provide them, wherein their hospital bill will be fully shouldered by the city.
She explained that this is to help them get through with hard work they poured in their work, which posed health risks on their part.
"Kabalo ko dili mabayran ang ilahang kakulba, kahadlok, kahago, ang inconvenience, wala siya'y katumbas nga kwarta. But atleast man lang naa sila'y money to buy things that would make them feel better (I understand this would not compensate for their hard work, which brought fear, anxiety, and inconvenience on their part. But at least they have money to buy things that would, somehow, make them feel better)," Duterte-Carpio said.
Based on her received information, 11 have already been discharged.
The mayor earlier issued an order that only the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) will be allowed in Davao City to cater to patients who have Covid-19.
This was covered under Executive Order (EO) 20-A, which also prohibits private hospitals from accepting Covid-19 PUIs and positive patients. This was later adapted in EO 23-A or the order placing Davao City under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).
"Nagsakit akong dughan. I felt somehow na involved ko because ako sige'g pamugos sa Department of Health nga giingnan nako sila nga gamiton nato ang SPMC (I felt sad because, somehow, I feel that I am responsible of their situation because I told Department of Health to only use SPMC to admit these patients)," Duterte-Carpio said.
The mayor said since the Covid-19 pandemic is a public health emergency, it is the role of the government to take the lead in the crisis. Hence, the need to utilize public hospitals in these situations and also the reason why SPMC will be allowed to cater to Covid-19 patients and those suspected of it.
She also said in a previous interview that her order was to further contain the virus and for easier detection and monitoring.
She already warned against hospitals that would break the order and give special treatments to patients.
SunStar Davao reached out to the SPMC management for reaction to the mayor's recent pronouncement. However, they have not yet replied as of press time.