DOTr eyes use of ships as ‘floating quarantine hospitals’

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade on Monday said that coordination is ongoing between the Department of Transportation (DOTr) and private ship owners in the country regarding the plan to set up floating quarantine hospitals for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients.

"I deemed it proper to convene the DOTr officials and heads of concerned attached agencies this day to discuss the operationalization of the plan to commission private passenger vessels, and if necessary, to utilize the PCG vessels, as additional medical facilities," Tugade said in a letter addressed to Senator Francis Tolentino on March 26.

"At present time, kindly be informed that initial coordination with ship owners/operators has already been made," he added.

Citing Section 4 of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, the Transportation chief said President Rodrigo Duterte is authorized to "direct the operation of any privately-owned passenger vessels to serve as temporary medical facilities."

Tugade said that the floating quarantine facilities may be installed with the necessary medical equipment and could be deployed in any part of the country.

Logistics and supply ships could also be deployed to complement the floating hospitals, he added.

Further, Tugade said that the Philippine Coast Guard offered to supervise the vessels and deploy PCG doctors and nurses to augment the existing medical forces.

Tolentino, who had earlier proposed to the DOTr the deployment of at least three hospital ships in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, commended the actions taken by the DOTr.

Aside from the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, the lawmaker said that the move also has legal basis in Section 24 of Republic Act No. 9295 or the Domestic Shipping Development Act of 2004 which provides that: "In times of national emergency, when the public interest so requires, the State may, during emergencies and under reasonable terms prescribed by it, temporarily take over or direct the operations or any vessel engaged in domestic trade and commerce."

The bed capacities of several public and private hospitals are being overtaken by the surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country which has risen to 1,418.

To manage the cases better, the Department of Health also plans to designate selected hospitals that will exclusively cater to COVID-19 patients. —LDF, GMA News