Cagayan de Oro pays for hotel stay of health workers vs coronavirus

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines – The city government negotiated for a discounted rate with a hotel here so that it could pay for the board and lodging of frontline medical workers treating coronavirus patients from the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC) and J.R. Borja General Hospital (JRBGH).

The city health office told reporters in a press statement on Thursday, April 2, that the local government unit will shoulder the cost of the lodging and board of the frontliners. 

NMMC is a COVID-19 referral hospital, while JRBGC is accepting non-coronavirus related patient referrals to relieve pressure on the former. 

Cagayan de Oro was placed under community quarantine on March 20. There are at least 13 cases of coronavirus in the Northern Mindanao region.  

Chedilyn Aissa Dulguime, the city’s tourism and humanitarian head of the COVID-19 response team said they were finalizing the list of frontliners who would benefit from the free lodging.

“We are finalizing the list. We are determining if frontliners are coming in from other towns and they can’t go home because there is no transportation or because of the curfew,” Dulguime said.

Dulguime said that frontliners will be able to use the facilities including doing laundry services, provided that a dedicated machine will be used in the laundry.

Dulquime said that the city government will provide more rooms for the frontline workers if necessary.

There is also a bus service from the Rural Transport Mindanao  to ferry health workers in the city.

Mayor Oscar Moreno said that the city government is planning to give hazard pay to medical frontline workers from both hospitals. Moreno said that the city has benefited from the services of NMMC.

“It is the extension of ones wishes, i know the sacrifices of the NMMC. If only I can apologize to NMMC for going beyond their call of duty,” Moreno added.

“It’s not a big amount but it is a sincere appreciation,” Moreno added.

Moreno also added that the city was also looking for ways to provide the same benefits to other frontliners of the city, “including the police, city social welfare, city health, we will look for ways. It is not the money but rather the spontaneity to continuously help,” Moreno said. – Rappler.com