Manila, Philippines, 17 August 2020 - Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) partners with Project HOPE, an international global health organization, to save the lives of healthcare workers in the Philippines with delivery of needed supplies and skills training as they continue to fight the clear dangers of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Among a population of over 100 million people, more than 160,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the Philippines to date, of which more than 2,000 have died. Consequently, Filipino healthcare workers are now being pushed to breaking point in supplies and support as case numbers continue to increase and more healthcare workers are being exposed and infected by COVID-19.
Under the “Saving the Lives of Healthcare Workers” project in the Philippines, ASSIST and Project HOPE will distribute kits of personal protective equipment (PPE) to select hospitals and health facilities in COVID-19 hotspots in the Philippines. In addition, the project will provide COVID-19 Infection Prevention & Controls (IPC) training to healthcare workers to help ensure they are better prepared to safely screen and treat patients. The training courses are based on a curriculum on COVID-19 prevention, triage, and treatment, developed by Project HOPE and the Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Studies at the Watson Institute of Brown University. In order to ensure sustained support to healthcare workers, the project will also support targeted hospitals and health facilities with technical assistance for an improved IPC management through identification of gaps and needs and implementing improved controls, practices, and protocols.
“We are grateful for the partnership with Project HOPE to deliver critically needed support to Filipino healthcare workers battling this outbreak,” said ASSIST Managing Director Sreeni Narayanan. “By joining forces, we will improve patient outcomes and recoveries by providing healthcare workers with the necessary aid to combat the virus.”
The implementation of the project's activities and strategies are underway as ASSIST builds multi-stakeholder partnerships with national and local government agencies, civil society organizations, and different Philippine medical associations and societies to achieve maximum reach and impact.
For partnerships and more information about the project, contact Francis Macatulad of ASSIST at [email protected].
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About ASSIST
Asia Society for Social Improvement and Sustainable Transformation (ASSIST) was established in 2003 with the aim of addressing sustainability challenges in the Philippines. Driven by passion and purpose for progress and prosperity in the region, ASSIST takes pride in its professional outlook, social responsibility, and process-oriented approach to capacity-building towards social impact.
About Project HOPE
Project HOPE is a global health and humanitarian organization that helps people around the world access the health care they need to reach their full potential. For more than 60 years, they’ve worked to improve the health of women and children, fight infectious disease, combat the rise of non-communicable diseases, and strengthen health care systems to withstand disasters and health crises.
Download Project HOPE Brochure.pdf (371.66 KB)