Senator Pia Cayetano is pushing a measure aim at establishing a national reserve force of health workers who can be immediately deployed in times of disasters and public health emergencies.
The senator filed Senate Bill No. 1527, or the Medical Reserve Corps Act, which shall establish a Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) specifically trained to supplement the country’s human health resources in delivering urgent services to areas affected by disasters and health emergencies.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the weaknesses of the country’s healthcare system, among them is the inability to cope with the surge of patients needing medical care due to lack of medically-trained personnel,” Cayetano pointed out.
“Like a highly-skilled reserve force that has been trained to assist the standing and regular military force as needed, the country can likewise benefit from a similar reserve force for our healthcare system,” she added.
The MRC will be composed of licensed healthcare service practitioners, medical reservists of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, public health experts, scientists, and non-medical volunteers trained for health emergencies and other necessary services.