The Department of Health (DOH) acquired one million set of personal protective equipment (PPEs) worth PHP1.8 billion for health workers who are in the frontline of the country’s fight against coronavirus pandemic, Health undersecretary Ma. Rosario Vergeire said Monday.
Vergeire said each set of PPEs which will be given to health workers in referral hospitals include headgear, goggles, N95 masks, gloves, apron, and gown.
She reassured that other public and private hospitals will also receive protective equipment, CNN Philippines reported.
“Mayroon din po tayong nakalaan para sa ibang pampublikong at pribadong ospital, maging ang mga ospital na labas sa Luzon na ngangailangan ng PPE,” she pointed out.
Meanwhile, she noted that the health department is looking at methods to decontaminate PPE as the world faces a global shortage of medical supplies in the market.
“Ito po ay kasama na sa pag–aaral ngayon ng Kagawaran ng Kalusugan,” the health official said.
“In fact, marami na nagrekomenda sa amin, even people from PNRI (Philippine Nuclear Research Institute), na may teknolohiya na puwedeng gamitin para ma-decontaminate ang mga PPE,” she added referring to the method developed by Duke University in North Carolina, USA to decontaminate N95 respirators.
The said method allowed the respirators to be reused several times.
Vergeire also bared that the DOH is collaborating with private organizations developing alternatives for PPEs.
