The Department of Health intends to create COVID-19 home care kits for individuals stricken with COVID-19. This is upon the instruction of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire. According to the official, the home care kit will include basics such as vitamins and paracetamol, as well as instruction on how to seek medical consultation via telemedicine platforms.
“The Office of the President mismo ang nag-meeting sa amin tapos sabi nila, ‘yung home care package, gawin niyo ‘yan para ‘yung ating mga kababayan, if they wish to stay home or if they are asked to stay home, they are confident because they have this kit,” states Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in an interview on ANC. Read more: DOH creating COVID-19 home care kits, an article by GMA News.
Vergeire reveals that the agency is working with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to finance the said kits. The increase in COVID-19 cases has overwhelmed the healthcare community and forced patients to home care or telemedicine. The country has a total of 997,523 COVID-19 cases with 903,665 recoveries and 16,783 deaths as of Sunday.
“It’s going to be linked to our financing mechanism through our social health insurance kaya medyo po nagtatagal tayo nang kaunti pero immediately naman po ang utos sa atin para maipatupad. Inaayos lang po natin ‘yung financing mechanism,” she adds.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), possible items to include in a home-based care kit (non US setting) include the following: paracetamol, disinfectant, disposable gloves, soap, wash cloth, cloth face covering, and calling card.
