In Ilocos Norte, heroism takes on a new meaning for health workers

HEALTH workers of the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center wave to Covid-19 positive survivors following their release at the hospital. (File photo courtesy of the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center's official Facebook page).

By John Michael Mugas

BATAC CITY—When the Philippine government imposed a total lockdown in Luzon island in March, most were mandated to “stay at home” to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

During that time, the world was already on a standstill with many countries already waging a war against an unseen enemy.

Fear abound from all walks of life as Covid-19’s death toll continues to rise day by day. While some of us had our share of sacrifice by being safe inside our homes, there are those who needed to be outside while carrying the heavy responsibility of building the country’s defenses against Covid-19.

Shining through these difficult times, they are our modern-day heroes—our health workers, front-liners, and essential workers.

Upholding the revered Ilocano ideals of heroism, bravery, and courage, the health-workers of the state-run Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMH&MC) here are leading Ilocos Norte’s battle against the global scourge.

Dr. Maria Lourdes K. Otayza, MMMH&MC’s chief, vows that the health-workers of the hospital, being one of the faces of the Department of Health (DOH) in Northern Luzon, will be “the last men standing” in defeating Covid-19 in Ilocos Norte. “If we do not do our duty, who will?” Dr. Otayza quipped as she beamed on how gratifying and inspiring to see that the health-workers of MMMH&MC have risen to the challenge.

 

Purest intention to help

For Dr. Marie Joyce U. Santos, MMMH&MC’s infectious disease specialist, essential workers are not only the country’s first line of defense, they are also the backliners—a term that her team coined to refer to health-workers as the “last defense” of humanity in the midst of the health pandemic.

While most people do not understand the risk and danger involved in their duties, Dr. Santos emphasizes that the “purest intention to help” among the members of her backliner team is the core of their motivation to serve in an environment surrounded by fear and anxiety.

“Our health-workers are the real heroes of the modern times,” she proudly expressed.

In April 11, 2020, MMMH&MC announced the recovery of the only two patients to be declared Covid-19 positive since the dawn of the pandemic in the country. The two patients were under the care of the team led by Dr. Santos.

 

Embracing the fear of the unknown

Meanwhile, Dr. Justine Espejo, family and community medicine resident of MMMH&MC, was one of the first health-workers to be in the frontlines when the Covid-19 outbreak started in the country.

While embracing the fear of the unknown to be able to serve the people, she described it as devastating when one of the patients whom she monitored during her deployment in Tarlac last March was declared positive of the Covid-19 infection.

Through it all, Dr. Espejo learned to rise from difficulties of the pandemic and channel the fear instead towards finding opportunities of providing health-care services for many poor Ilocanos especially those in the grassroots.

Meanwhile, it is a different kind of fear for MMMH&MC’s medical records officer Azenoel Bandayrel and billing officer Mei Krizl Ulit.

As they face clients every day, both of them admitted that they fear contracting the virus and transmitting it to their homes.

Despite this, they remain motivated to serve in the hospital for it is their way to give back to the nation and be a part of the solution.

 

Battling discrimination

With the pandemic’s end being nowhere in sight, our health-care system is feared to collapse. Many counts on the heroism of our essential workers to keep the system intact as the call for the public’s cooperation is amplified.

However, it cannot be denied how various social media platforms are filled with horrifying stories of discrimination against health-workers.

Leading the communications arm of MMMH&MC during the pandemic, Jhey-ar O. Mangati describes discrimination against them as a social issue.

“Some of our hospital staff have experienced discrimination in ways one cannot imagine. Maybe the most absurd is what happened to an employee of MMMH&MC when he was not allowed to enter his rented room in a boarding house because he was working in the hospital,” he lamented.

“As health-workers, we are not seeking for praises. What we mostly need during this time is support and acceptance from the public as we willingly risk our lives by doing our jobs,” Mr. Mangati added.

MMMH&MC, on the other hand, has received its fair share of the public’s generosity through an outpour of donations from individuals and groups who donated food and different kinds of personal protective equipment and face masks for the hospital’s workers.

Dr. Otayza mused how this simple act of heartfelt offering and looking after one another is truly alive in Ilocos Norte.

“These generous acts give me energy, humble me, and continue to inspire me," she said.

 

Modern-day heroes

MODERN-DAY HEROES. The health-workers of the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMH&MC) express commitment to serve and provide universal health-care services to the public. This is despite the dangers and risks during the Covid-19 pandemic. (Photo courtesy of Efleda Sarah V. Marders)

As the country commemorated its 122^nd Independence Day on June 12, 2020, heroism takes on a new meaning for many Filipinos.

It is manifested by how the Covid-19 pandemic has undeniably turned our essential workers to become our modern-day heroes.

Mr. Mangati believes that even ordinary citizens are capable of contributing something worthy and noble during these times.

“We have a shared responsibility to create not only a new but a better normal for our country. All of us is capable of contributing something through living responsibly and having the desire to change the old things that brought us in this situation and are no longer working,” he added.

Dr. Otayza, meanwhile, upholds that modern-day heroes are those who are willing to risk their lives for others.

“A Jesuit once said, flowers do not bloom for themselves. The rain does not fall for itself but to enrich the parched earth,” she highlighted, reaffirming MMMH&MC’s commitment to protect, serve, lead, and strengthen the health-care systems.