OpinionsThe Life of DaiBreathing life in UK health system

Breathing life in UK health system

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Filipinos at the frontlines

LONDON — Since the first reported case of the novel coronavirus (CoViD-19) here, Filipinos in the UK”ºs National Health Service have worked tirelessly and courageously to stop the spread of the disease, to keep people alive, and to safeguard public health.

Of some 20,000 Filipinos who work in the UKӼs public healthcare system, nearly 70 percent work as nurses, while the remaining 30 percent work either as clinical support staff, infrastructure support staff, or play other important roles that have proven vital, especially during public health emergencies as this.

As of 9 April, there have been around 65,000 confirmed CoViD-19 cases in the US. Of that number, around 8,000 deaths.

These figures are staggering, and one can only imagine the tremendous stress and pressure experienced by all the frontline medical workers here in the UK at the moment.

I always thought that no matter how good a country’s healthcare system is, it will always have its limits, its breaking point.

The reason for the British government’s drastic but necessary measures, such as travel restrictions and lockdowns, was to stop the spread of the virus, and to protect those who fight this invisible enemy at the frontlines.

Among the Filipino community, it is difficult to arrive at accurate figures since we rely heavily on reports from individuals who have knowledge of those grappling with, or have succumbed to the disease that has ripped the world at the start of this new decade.

As of this writing, at least 13 have died due to CoViD-19, including a Negrense who served as a nurse in the UK.

«We learned about the pandemic in school but this one being a newly-discovered virus with no vaccine available yet; even with PPEs, there is still the feeling of vulnerability for myself, my patients, and their loved ones, colleagues, and our own families,” said Katrina Albarico, a Filipino nurse in Belfast, Northern Ireland. “The traditional nurse-patient relationship has changed, as the anxiety is not anymore from the persons and their loved ones getting care, but from the keyworkers as well in this unprecedented time…how we are still able show resilience, care, and re-assurance is beyond me,» Katrina added.

Yet despite the risks, our medical frontliners, especially the Filipinos in the NHS, continue to put the lives of others ahead of themselves.

This dedication to serve others has brought the Filipino community in the UK together in the spirit of bayanihan. The Filipino Food Movement in the UK, an organization of Filipino chefs and restaurateurs, for example, has been raising funds to provide hot meals to their kababayan in the NHS.

We also have individuals in the community who took it upon themselves to sew facemasks and other types of personal protective equipment. Mich Dulce, a Chevening scholar who is currently doing her masterӼs program at Goldsmiths University of London, has been a driving force in harnessing the potential of the fashion industry to produce PPEs for frontliners in the Philippines.

We also have various Filipino community organizations who are rising above these challenging times to provide support to those who need it the most. It is inspiring how critical times such as these have brought out the best in some of us, and have also underscored and drawn attention to the vital and indispensable role that Filipinos play in breathing life into the UK’s public health system.

«An amazing number of Filipinos working in the NHS are [our] unsung heroes like so many,” said British broadcaster Piers Morgan during a recent episode of the show Good Morning, Britain. “It’s worth bearing in mind when we talk about immigrants in this country, these are immigrants currently saving people’s lives, coming here, and actually enriching our country, and doing an amazing job!”

At the Philippine Embassy, we continue to work remotely, providing assistance to distressed Filipino citizens, even though we have temporarily suspended our consular services as a way of supporting current measures to stop the spread of CoViD-19, and as a way of helping to safeguard public health.

We launched a CoViD-19 information portal in our website to point people to reliable sources of information, and to help people easily find information they need about this pandemic.

We also continue to respond to inquiries, and provide guidance to all those who reach out to us in these uncertain times.

This ‘new normal’ has been challenging but has continued to imbue our line of work with a deeper sense of meaning. After all, despite the well-heeled heritage of diplomatic work, at the very core of it is service.

While the end of this pandemic is nowhere yet in sight, we can draw important takeaways as early as now as we continue to make sense of the chaos around us:

First, this pandemic is a litmus test on leadership. Now, more than ever, people look to their leaders in government for clarity and guidance. We have seen the different ways how governments and government officials around the world have responded, and provided support to their citizens. And by now, we are able to tease apart the genuine leader from the politician.

Second, this pandemic has drawn our attention to the importance of doctors, nurses, the healthcare professionals, and all the so-called blue collar workers who keep society alive and breathing. They all deserve to be compensated more fairly and more appropriately, and valued more for the vital role they play in society.

Finally, this pandemic shows us the cross-cutting nature of crisis, and how these things require not just a whole-of-government approach, but a whole-of-society strategy.

The first line of defense, as it is said, must begin in our homes.

The peace we enjoy during this Easter weekend in the safety and comfort of our homes here in London is a far cry from the pandemonium that so many healthcare workers have to confront every single day, striving to keep the virus at bay.

There will indeed be better days but for us to get there fast, we need to do our share to support and protect those who cannot stay home because they have to be where danger and hardship exist.

______________________________


Stacy Danika Alcantara-Garcia is Third Secretary and Vice Consul of the Department of Foreign Affairs assigned at the Embassy of the Philippines in London. She went to school at Silliman since kinder until she graduated with a Mass Communication degree (summa cum laude) in 2009 and then took International Relations and Diplomacy from the Geneva School of Diplomacy in Switzerland.

Author’s email: [email protected]

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