Upon the instruction of the Office of the President, the Department of Health is now creating COVID-19 home care kits, said Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Monday.
Vergeire said the COVID-19 home care kits will contain “basics” like vitamins and paracetamol and instructions on how to have medical consultation through telemedicine platforms.
“The Office of the President mismo ang nag-meeting sa amin tapos sabi nila, ‘yung home care package, gawin niyo ‘yan para ‘yung ating mga kababayan, if they wish to stay home or if they are asked to stay home, they are confident because they have this kit,” Vergeire said in an interview on ANC.
(The Office of the President told us in a meeting to create a home care package for the public so that if they wish to stay home or if they are asked to stay home, they are confident because they have this kit.)
The health official said DOH is coordinating with Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) for funding the COVID-19 home care kits.
DOH to distribute COVID-19 home care kits
“It’s going to be linked to our financing mechanism through our social health insurance kaya medyo po nagtatagal tayo nang kaunti pero immediately naman po ang utos sa atin para maipatupad. Inaayos lang po natin ‘yung financing mechanism,” she said.
(It’s going to be linked to our financing mechanism through our social health insurance, that’s why it’s taking a while but the order was for us to implement this immediately, so we are just working on the financing mechanism.)
Meanwhile, DOH and Foreign Affairs are deliberating the possibility of declaring a temporary ban on travelers from India over a new COVID-19 variant from India.
“Pinag-uusapan na po namin ngayon with DFA so that we can recommend to IATF if ever we will find that cause para po talagang i-ban muna temporarily just for us to prevent further spread of [the] disease here in the country,” Vergeire said in an interview on ANC.
(We are discussing this now with DFA so that we can recommend to IATF if ever we will find that cause to impose a temporary ban just for us to prevent further spread of disease here in the country.)
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