Providing lifesaving care without lifesaving protection

Contributor: Danilo C. Pamonag, Jr., RN, Army General Hospital, Philippines

Danilo C. Pamonag Jr is currently working as an Emergency Room (ER) Nurse at Army General Hospital in the Philippines and has been serving the military community and their families for more than five years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital catered not only to military personnel, their dependents and the civilian employees of the Philippine Army, but also to the thousands of locally stranded individuals, who had to be assessed, before being cleared and medically certified as safe to return to their families and communities in their home provinces.

Dealing with COVID-19 has made ER nursing all the more challenging, with nurses playing a critical role in stopping the transmission of the disease through health education and ensuring that everyone, including health providers, are aware of the latest recommendations.

Nurses play an important role in maintaining the health of every individual and often go above and beyond the call of duty to provide care for others. On numerous occasions, Danilo was in close contact with COVID-19 suspects with minimal personal protective equipment (PPE) due to shortages. He donated part of his salary and spearheaded a fund-raising activity, through the PMA Sandiwa Brat Class 1985, to help other hospitals who had an insufficient supply of PPEs.

They distributed PPEs to seven different hospitals, including the Lung Center of the Philippines, which was in dire need at that time. He also donated basic supplies such as liquid hand soap, alcohol, face masks, and washable PPEs for the ER staff of the Army General Hospital. During the nationwide lockdown, he offered his personal vehicle as transportation for his colleagues and co-workers who were affected by the Enhanced Community Quarantine.

Despite the threat of COVID, Danilo readily volunteered his services, when needed, either as a regular or augmented nurse to the COVID response nursing workforce. He competently assessed the patients, took vital signs, referred accordingly to the doctor, carried out orders, and administered medications. He also facilitated the transfer of the COVID suspect to quarantine areas and helped redesign the COVID-19 Triage Area so as to minimize the risk of transmission of COVID-19 to the health workers or front-liners during the consultation phase, and he volunteered to conduct rapid testing to the patients and staff of the Army General Hospital.

Inspired with a deep sense of competence, professionalism and dedication to work and service, Danilo was awarded the “Patient’s Choice Award” in March 2019 and named “Frontline Healthcare Professional against COVID-19 Pandemic” in August 2020. In September 2020, the Philippine Army recognised Danilo’s efforts and named him “Best Philippine Army Civilian Human Resource Medical Front-liner of the Year 2020”. These various recognitions have served to increase his dedication and commitment to save lives and care for all Filipinos.

Danilo says, “As a nurse in the Emergency Department, it is a challenging to go beyond my duties and responsibilities without hesitation in caring for the patients, especially patients confirmed or suspected of harbouring COVID-19. I must prepare myself physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to provide a holistic approach to my patients through a world class standard of care. I showed no fear in dealing the COVID suspected cases. Without hesitation, I assisted in the resuscitation of dying patients despite the scarcity of PPE. “