(Eagle News) – Interior Secretary Eduardo Año condemned the recent attack on a health worker in Sultan Kudarat over fears about the coronavirus, and warned those who threaten or attack health workers that they would face the full force of the law.
Año said that he had already asked the police to look for the suspects in the case in Tacurong City where a health worker of St. Louis Hospital had been attacked by five suspects, throwing bleach on the victim.
“The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) strongly condemns the dastardly act committed against a health worker who was assaulted by five suspects in Tacurong City, Sultan Kudarat and expresses its indignation over reports of harassment against health workers in Metro Manila and other parts of the country,” the DILG chief said.
“Our countrymen in the medical profession are our front liners in the war against COVID-19. Just like our police officers, soldiers and other men and women in uniform, they wage a lonely but relentless battle against this disease everyday 24/7 to keep our nation safe,” said Año who is working from
home after testing positive for COVID-19.
“The last thing they need right now is discrimination when all they do is save lives and protect each and every one of us from an enemy we cannot see,” he said.
-Police officers to be deployed around medical centers-
The DILG chief said he had already ordered the Philippine National Police to “deploy police officers in the vicinity of key hospitals and medical centers for increased police visibility and to ensure the safety and security of our health workers.”
He said that these policemen will also protect the health care workers from criminal elements “especially during unholy hours.”
-Año: LGUs should provide free transport for health workers-
He also urged local government officials to provide free transport for the health workers, and to light up the streets leading to the medical and health care facilities.
Año said that local government units should also “ensure that the medical health workers and other front liners in their jurisdiction are protected and safe as they travel to and from hospitals and clinics.”
“During this health emergency crisis, the least that we can do is to make sure that our health front liners are safe and protected as they continue to take care of the sick and save lives as we all confront the COVID-19 global pandemic,” he said in a statement.
