Frontliners use improvised PPE amid shortages

Filipino healthcare workers in the regions are resorting to ingenious and improvised personal protective equipment (PPE) like tissue paper masks and garbage bag suits due to severe shortages.

A doctor in Virac, Catanduanes, created makeshift masks from tissue paper and rubber bands to protect herself and fellow frontliners.

Health workers at St. Jude Hospital in Laguna resorted to using plastics and trash bags for protective suits due to a lack of available PPE.

These improvised solutions highlight the critical need for the Department of Health (DOH) and other agencies to intervene and provide essential protective gear.

Swimsuit designer Domz Ramos and his team have also produced and distributed approximately 2,000 face masks made from cloth scraps to barangays and frontliners.

Ramos's team distributed these cotton face masks to major hospitals including the Philippine General Hospital and the National Kidney and Transplant Institute.

The efforts of these individuals and groups underscore the resourcefulness of Filipinos in addressing critical needs during the COVID-19 crisis.