Having an infectious disease hospital could have helped save the lives of many Filipinos, particularly at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Aksyon Demokratiko vice-presidential candidate Doc Willie Ong said Saturday during the CNN-sponsored Vice Presidential Debates.

During the debate held at the University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion, Ong and six other vice-presidential candidates present were asked what concrete steps will they take for the next pandemic and how do they plan to implement it.

In response, Ong said that aside from an infectious disease hospital, building a Cancer Center of the Philippines (CCP), modern hospitals for every region and improved access to healthcare services will help prevent deaths and will give the country a fighting chance in winning the war against COVID-19.

“Alam ko hirap na hirap na yung mga kababayan natin sa lockdown, hindi na alam ang gagawin. Simple lang po eh kailangan natin magtayo ng infectious disease hospital. Dun natin ilalagay yung mga COVID patients. Hindi pwede sa PGH (Philippine General Hospital) namamatay yung ibang pasyente natin,” Ong said in direct response to an earlier statement of Senate President Vicente Sotto III.

“Sana lang nagtayo tayo ng infectious disease hospital para hindi ilagay ang Covid patients sa PGH kasi nagrereklamo yung mga doctors nadi-displaced yung mga cancer patients, yung ooperahan, kaya marami namatay sa atin nung 2021. So, pag nakagawa tayo ng separate at least hindi na mao-over burden yung mga hospitals dahil nagkakahawaan eh, naghahawa yung Covid sa di Covid kaya di tayo makapagpa-check-up napupuno po agad. I think may tulong kung magtatayo pa tayo ng ospital para hindi tayo magkulang ng hospital bed po,” Ong explained.

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