A delegation of four senior health professionals arrived in the Philippines this week for a six-day visit to share best practices in combating the coronavirus pandemic.
“This mission is focused on how to respond to the COVID situation,” Philippines Ambassador to Israel Macairog S. Alberto told The Jerusalem Post. “The team will discuss how to prevent, isolate, detect and treat [the virus], and reintegration strategies that could be used by the Philippines based on the experience of Israel to combat COVID-19.”
The group of professionals is composed of Shira Peleg, head nurse in the Emergency Department of Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center; Eyad Jeries, trauma coordinator for Galilee Medical Center; Chaim Markos Rafalowski, disaster management coordinator for Magen David Adom; and Dr. Guy Choshen, a senior physician in Sourasky’s COVID-19 department.
The mission was arranged by the Health Ministry’s International Relations department, with the support of the Foreign Ministry and the Israeli Embassy in the Philippines.
The group has meetings with members of the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and with National Task Force Against COVID-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr., among other top health officials.
“We also came to observe and learn from the Philippines in their COVID-19 response,” Choshen told the Post in a WhatsApp interview from Manila. “The Philippines have various challenges as they are facing a much larger population spread over 7,100 islands.”
This is the second group of experts from Israel to travel to the area to assist in the management of the pandemic. A previous delegation spent time in the country in June to assist with the Philippines’ vaccine roll out.
“We are using the Israeli model to conduct the vaccine roll out,” Alberto said.
So far, 17.2 million coronavirus vaccine doses have been given out in the country and 6.1 million people are fully vaccinated – 5.6% of the population, according to Our World in Data.
The country is still reporting around 6,500 new cases per day and has around 55,000 total active cases, as reported by the World ‘O Meters website.
“The best place to be now during COVID is in Israel because of what Israel has done in preventing the spread of COVID, the vaccination roll out and the scientific developments that have been conducted here in Israel,” the ambassador told the Post. “We look at Israel as a role model.”
On Tuesday, Israel reported that more than 2,000 daily cases had been diagnosed the day before.
Alberto added that the Philippines consider Israel a “brother nation,” and recalled how the Jewish State helped the country during the 2013 typhoon, sending a medical team and equipment during a critical and tragic time.
“Israel has always been a good friend to the Philippines,” he said. “Your willingness to share your time and expertise with our medical personnel reflects the nature of that friendship.”