Two Filipino doctors succumbed to COVID-19 as hospitals and health workers cope with the influx of cases who seek medical attention.
Messages of sympathies pour in social media for the death of Dr. Greg Macasaet of Manila Doctor’s Hospital, as well as for the death of a medical oncologist from San Juan De Dios Hospital.
This brings to three the number of physicians who died from the novel coronavirus that has infected 300,000 people worldwide.
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“Today, we lost one of our own. We join our colleagues in mourning the loss of Dr. Greg Macasaet, who succumbed to the disease this morning, March 22, 2020.
He was one of the best anaesthesiologists in our country and he was one of the first responders to a patient who eventually died from COVID-19,” Manila Doctor’s Hospital said in a statement.
The wife of Macasaet, Dr. Evalyn Macasaet, is also in the ICU, battling from the coronavirus infection.
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Earlier, Dr. Israel Bactol, a 34-year-old cardiologist from Philippine Heart Center, also died due to COVID-19.
A publicist, Eric Cabahug, wrote in his Facebook post that the young doctor died after having attended to a patient who lied that he travelled from China.
Sen. JV Ejercito, who saw Cabahug’s tweet, expressed dismay over irresponsible patients who are risking the lives of the frontliners.
“This is so sad. Doctors are dying and some critical because of irresponsible patients who are lying about their travel history! “Nakakainis! Gusto ko kayo sapukin! Nakakaawa mga doctor at frontliners may gana pa kayo mag sinungaling! Ayan namatay na ilan dahil sa inyo!” Ejercito said.
This is so sad. Doctors are dying and some critical because of irresponsible patients who are lying about their travel history!
Nakakainis! Gusto ko kayo sapukin! Nakakaawa mga doctor at frontliners may gana pa kayo mag sinungaling! Ayan namatay na ilan dahil sa inyo! pic.twitter.com/OIoOJMogzV
— JV Ejercito (@jvejercito) March 22, 2020
