Amidst the lengthy battle with the highly contagious Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), the health sector loses yet another leader.
On the same day that the Department of Health (DOH) announced the number of infected healthcare professionals to the public, the administration of Mandaluyong City Medical Center (MCMC) confirmed the death of it chief nurse, Manny Pacheco. He was among the 252 healthcare workers that tested positive for the COVID-19 and added to the growing number of untimely deaths of healthcare professionals.
Pacheco, 62 years old, was “loved by his peers, colleagues, and superiors” according to MCMC Hospital Administrator Cesar Tutaan. The chief nurse worked in the hospital for 30 years and was assigned to his post four years ago.
He passed away on 2:40 p.m. on Wednesday, April 8.
The Philippine Nurses Association aexpressed its condolences, “Our deepest sympathy and heartfelt condolence to the bereaved family of our fallen comrade… the late Manuel “Manny” Pacheco.”
“Our deep sympathy and condolences to the family and friends on the untimely loss of our nurse colleague due to COVID-19,” wrote nurses’ organization Filipino Nurses United in a tribute.
On April 11, the DOH confirmed another 200 new COVID-19 cases increasing the national number of cases to 6,459. It also confirmed the death of 19 COVID-19 patients which brings the total number of mortalities to 428.
After the onset of the pandemic in the country, both public and private hospitals including its personnel were pressed to continue working despite the lack of proper personal protective equipments (PPEs), insufficiency of testing kits, deficient and ill-equipped facilities, and the anomalous testing procedures which deviated from the initial algorithms that didn’t prioritize healthcare professionals. All of which exponentially increased the work hazard and risk of contracting the said virus.
