IN celebration of the World Humanitarian Day, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) urges protection and respect for health workers, as it ensures that people who need their help receive continuous care — which is all the more important in time of the Covid-19 pandemic. “This World Humanitarian Day, we honor the frontline health workers who show up each day to provide life-saving care to people who need it most, despite the risks and the discrimination they may face,” ICRC said in a statement. Among these health workers are seven Filipinos who serve in various capacities and locations around the country – Dr. Potri Disomimba Ali, chief of Tamparan District Hospital, Lanao del Sur, who also served people who were affected by the Marawi conflict in 2017; hygienist Michael Carriaga who is deployed to the BJMP’s Covid-19 isolation facility in Payatas, Quezon City; nurse Alaudin Salik Masabpi, who is Philippine Red Cross Cotabato City-Maguindanao chapter service representative for disaster management. Nurse Natalya Frances Sousa of the Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC), who said that through this pandemic she saw the essence of nursing– that is to nurture patients and to be their light in times of darkness and vulnerability; Maguindanao Integrated Provincial Health Office Technical Services Chief Dr. Gina Macapeges; Guagua District Jail nurse Angel Vitug Jr. volunteered to be a nurse at the BJMP isolation facility in San Fernando, Pampanga; and ZCMC medical resident-in-training Dr. Kevin Paul Enriquez, who avers that their task is to remain firm and flexible to the changes that are yet to be encountered.

Source: Manila Times August 27, 2020 16:07 UTC