Proposed medical reserve pool in Davao City attracts 90 volunteers

DAVAO CITY, Aug. 3 (PIA)-  Around 90 volunteers attended the briefing for the creation of an Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) medical reserve pool here in Davao City.

These volunteers are composed of doctors, nurses, dentists, medical technologist and other graduates in the medical field. They attended the Joint Reserve Task Force briefing which plans for the creation of a medical reserve pool in the city.

The medical reserve pool aims to enlist medical practitioners and graduates in the medical field as AFP reservists to help the government fight the spread of COVID-19.

 

Davao City Third District Representative and current brigade commander of the 2202nd Ready Reserve Brigade Col. Isidro T. Ungab presides over the briefing which plans to create an AFP Reserve Medical Force in Davao City

According to Davao City Third District Representative and current brigade commander of the 2202nd Ready Reserve Brigade Col. Isidro T. Ungab, the medical reserve pool was the brainchild of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

The medical reserve pool is eyed to augment health care workers and frontliners in hospitals, COVID facilities, airports and testing centers.

About 65 volunteers physically attended the briefing held on August 1 at the headquarters of the 2202nd Ready Reserve Brigade while 25 volunteers participated online, among those who attended via Zoom was Mayor Sara Duterte, who is also a Colonel in the reserve force of the Philippine Army.

One of the volunteers who attended the briefing was Meg Bama, an occupational health nurse and part of a COVID duty team of a private hospital. She volunteered to apply for the reserve pool as based on her experience there is a need to augment the medical frontliners with rising COVID-19 cases.

“We are all tired and diminishing in number, morale is low and many of my fellow health care workers have contacted the virus due to a weakened immune system due to exhaustion, the remaining frontliners could only do so much. Without augmentation and if this situation continues our healthcare system will surely collapse,” Bama said.

During the briefing the administrators of the different Reserve Commands of the AFP alongside health officials of Davao City discussed possible areas of collaboration once the AFP Medical Reserve Pool is formally established. (PIA/RG Alama)

Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)