On Sunday, the Department of Health (DOH) released a statement denouncing physical assault, harassment and discrimination against healthcare workers.
They disclosed that they have been receiving reports from frontliners who were thrown with bleach and chlorine and were physically harmed. There were also healthcare workers who were refused access to public transport, blocked and fined at checkpoints and evicted from their homes.
“These acts cannot be tolerated. We are mobilizing our own personnel in efforts to ascertain more details and hold perpetrators of these attacks liable and reporting these incidents to the Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19 for proper investigation and resolution,” they wrote in the statement.
The DOH also assured that frontliners take extra precaution to insure infection prevention. Those who are persons under investigation (PUI) and persons under monitoring (PUM) are also taking the proper steps to isolate themselves.
“We appeal to the public to extend understanding and compassion to our healthcare workers. Our healthcare worker have responded to our country’s need, with dedication, courage and selflessness. This is not the time for us to turn our backs on them,” they ended.
