1 5 Final Thesis

Republic of the Philippines
MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

COLLEGE OF ACCOUNTANCY, BUSINESS, AND GOVERNANCE
Institute of Governance and Public Affairs
Main Campus: Boac / Branches: Sta. Cruz - Torrijos - Gasan
Panfilo Manguera Sr. Rd., Tanza, Boac, Marinduque 4900 (Main Campus)
Tel. No.: (042) 332-0323 Website: www.marinduquestatecollege.edu.ph
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STATUS OF MEDICAL FRONTLINERS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF TORRIJOS,
MARINDUQUE DURING THE TIME OF PANDEMIC: BASIS FOR POLICY
RECOMMENDATION
A Thesis Proposal Presented
to the Faculty of School of Governance
Marinduque State College
In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree
Bachelor of Public Administration
MAUREEN R. MANTAL
May 2021
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Vision: An advanced and adaptive university pursuing quality education, lifelong gender-sensitive learning environment, responsive research-based community
programs and transparent governance with sustainable resource generation by 2025
Mission: To provide excellence in instruction, research, extension, and production that magnifies W.I.S.D.O.M. in leadership through total quality management
system responsive to the challenges of the 21st Century Education
SERVING beyond EXCELLENCE!!!

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ABSTRACT
MANTAL MAUREEN R., DECEMBER 2021. STATUS OF MEDICAL FRONTLINERS
IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF TORRIJOS, MARINDUQUE; DURING THE TIME OF
PANDEMIC BASIS FOR POLICY RECOMMENDATION. Bachelor of Public
Administration Institute of Governance and Public Affairs.
Adviser: Vergel Mayo, MPA
This study aims to know the status of medical frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos,
Marinduque during the time of pandemic. Survey questionnaires and interviews face to face were
used to gather the data. The respondents were the 75 medical frontliners from Municipality of
Torrijos, Marinduque.
Based on the findings of this study, on working hours during and before pandemic have rendered
8 working hours, interms of working scheme most of the respondents are regular employees. On
Job Positions of the medical frontliners, every position has a corresponding number according to
job frequencies. Interms of age, majority (19 or 8.0%) of the respondents are 29-33 years old.
Most of the respondents are college graduate and the least is highschool graduate and marital
status the respondents are single with the total of (49 or65.3%). On the No. of Households, the
highest frequencies (40 or 53.3%) 4 to 6 members of the family. A breakdown of income
accumulated by the frontliners with the total of a 10 (13.3%). Based from findings it was
concluded that the medical frontliners have problem encoutered, being stressed or even a
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stressful working environment topped the criteria (a total of 66), followed by the shortage of
tools and equipments , lack of facility, and so on and so forth. In addition, it was also revealed
interms of solution undertaken to address the problem the topped from the criteria is to raise the
problem in the Department of Health a total of 213. In the light of yhe findings, it is
recommended that the Department of Health (DOH) may provide the needs of the Medical
Frontliners like, oxygen, PPE, facilities, medicine or vaccine and also funds to fight the covid 19
pandemic. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) may conduct
psychological support and interventions for the medical frontliners. For the Local Government
Unit (LGU) may provide tools and equipment and may allocate budget for the benefits of
medical frontliners. The Hospital always checked the temperature of the patients, give advices
and also conduct program or orientation. Lastly future researcher may conduct related studies
regarding the status of medical frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos, Marinduque during the
time of pandemic
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. PRELIMINARIES Page
1. Title Page i
2. Table of Contents ii
3. List of Tables iii
4. List of Figures iv
2. CHAPTER I: THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
 Introduction 1
 Statement of the Problem 4
 Significance of the Study 5
 Scope and Limitation and Delimitation 5
3. CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
1. Related Literature 6
2. Related Studies 13
3. Conceptual Framework with Research Paradigm 16
4. Definition of Terms 17
4. CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
1. Research Design 18
2. Research Locale with Map of Research Locale 18
3. Population & Sample with table showing the distribution of Population 20
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4. Research Instrument 21
5. Data Gathering Procedure 22
6. Statistical Treatment of Data 22
V. BIBLIOGRAPHY 23
VI. APPENDICES 26
1. Application for Oral Defense of Thesis Proposal 28
2. Letter to the Member of Oral Examination Committee 29
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LIST OF TABLES
Table Number Title Page
1. No. of Respondents of Medical Frontliners 21
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Number Title Page
1. Research Paradigm 16
2. Map of the Philippines 19
3. Map of the Province of Marinduque 19
4. Map of the Municipality of Torrijos 20
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CHAPTER 1
THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND
This chapter presents the introduction, the statement of the problem, the
significance of the study and the scope and limitation of the study.
Introduction
In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic being experienced around the world, frontliners
are still continuing to serve the people to prevent the rapid spread of covid here in our country.
The frontliners have been instrumental in addressing the problem facing the country. The spread
of Covid-19 start in March 2020, where the frontliners were there to take care everyone and help.
Police and soldiers are there to guard every Barangay that has symptoms, Local Governmemt
Officials who help guard an area, doctors and nurses who heal the sick and those who with
symptoms and other frontliners who are always on hand. It is true to admire the frontliners
because they faced the pandemic, awake, tired, endured their physical pain and fear to serve and
do their responsibility for the country, life is at stake for the family. Fighting one’s own fear and
family longing to help our country. The frontliners took care of, safe and delivered our sick,
especially those with Covid-19 patients who desperately need their care to prevent the spread of
the virus to people. The frontliners are not stop to to serve and combat the problem facing the
country.
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Rome Doctors, nurses and healthcare workers have become the unwitting heroes of the
Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, winning applause from balconies and streets around the world.
From Yaounde to Rome to New York, the pandemic has infected more than 1.9 million people
and claimed over 120,000 lives. Hospital workers are dealing with a huge influx of patients,
while also facing a lack of equipment in many cases and the fear of becoming infected
themselves. Often, they face heart breaking decisions while treating their patients. AFP
journalists spoke to healthcare workers around the world to find out what it’s really like to be on
the frontline in the coronavirus pandemic. In Italy, one of the worst affected countries, dozens of
doctors and nurses have died from Covid-19 and thousands of healthcare workers have become
infected. Silvana de Florio, nursing coordinator in the Covid-19 intensive care unit of the Tor
Vergata Hospital in Rome, underlined the importance of being appropriately kitted out with
masks, visors, gloves, scrubs and suits to avoid contagion.
The necessary equipment was not ready when this the pandemic was already happening,
devastating Europe, said the nurse, who is resting at home as there is no space in the hospitals.
Patients with severe symptoms were arriving at her emergency department, but due to a lack of
tests, they were treated as if they had the flu and sent home. We had no personal protective
equipment (PPE) but we could not refuse to treat the patients, she said. In the United States, Judy
Sheridan-Gonzalez, president of the New York State Nurses Association, also complained about
the lack of protective gear for medical workers. We don’t have the arms and the armour to
protect ourselves against the enemy, she said at a recent protest outside a hospital. Benny
Mathew, a 43-year-old nurse in New York, said he caught the virus after caring for at least four
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patients without adequate medical dress. Not long afterwards, when his fever had subsided, the
hospital asked him to come back to work. They told me if you don’t have fever you can come on
work that was their only criteria, he said. I was told to wear a mask and come to work. We don’t
have enough staff so I think it was my duty to come back. With more than 195,000 confirmed
cases of Covid-19 and around 10,000 deaths, New York State is the epicenter of the pandemic in
the US, the worst affected country so far.
Philippines members of the public, detained for roaming the streets without relevant
passes amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, squat at a distance from one another as they
are processed outside a police station at Quezon City in Manila. The doctors at Manila’s San
Lazaro hospital, a specialist center for infectious diseases, are used to battling humanity’s
nastiest contagions but they’ve never seen anything like Covid-19. Suspected coronavirus cases
have died at triage, terrified patients grow outraged when they can’t get tested immediately and
the doctors have to manage the anxiety they could be carriers also. It’s a living nightmare, said
doctor Ferdinand de Guzman, who at 60 years old is himself in a high-risk group. With a limited
number of intensive care rooms and ventilators, the doctors are burdened with horrific
judgments.
Torrijos Medical Staff in a hospital at Marinduque are making do with disposable
Ponchos as they wait for the arrival of personal protective equipment (PPE). Torrijos Municipal
Hospital representatives received the personal temporary ponchos turned over by Ms. Donna
Saet in behalf of our Provincial Administrative Vincent Michael Quinto Velasco. Those ponchos
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are donated by the private sector the Provincial Administrator Office and are being used while
we await for the official PPEs.
Santa Cruz, Marinduque, Apr. 30 (PIA) The Office of Vice President Maria Leonor Leni
Gerona Robredo mobilized her team through its Angat Buhay Program to provide support to the
medical frontliners in the province. Personal Protective Equipments (PPE's), N95 facemasks,
alcohols and medical gloves were donated to rural health units of the towns of Mogpog, Santa
Cruz, Gasan and to the Marinduque Provincial Hospital.
This scenario prompted the researcher to focus her study on the status of medical
frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos, Marinduque, during the time of pandemic thus this
will serve as the basis for policy recommendation.
Statement of the Problem
This study aims to know the Status of Medical Frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos,
Marinduque, during the time of pandemic thus serves as basis for policy recommendation,
Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions:
1. What is the Status of the medical frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos, during the
time of pandemic in terms of;
a. Work
b. Personal life
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2. What are the problems encountered by the medical frontliners in the Municipality of
Torrijos, Marinduque, during the time of pandemic?
3. What are the solutions undertaken to address the problem encountered by the medical
frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos, Marinduque
Significance of the Study
The findings of this study may be beneficial to the following:
To the Medical Frontliners of the Municipality of Torrijos- This research study may serve
as an information of their experiences of frontliners.
To the Local Government Officials of the Municipality of Torrijos - This research study
may serve as information for the government to make them aware of the problems encountered
faced by the medical frontliners and provide a solution by the government so that the medical
frontliners can better protect themselves against COVID-19.
To the Future Researchers, this study may benefit the future researchers to make guide and
get reliable references for their future related studies.
Scope and Limitations
This research was focused on the Status of Medical Frontliners in the Municipality of
Torrijos, Marinduque during the time of pandemic, thus it will serve as basis for policy
recommendation. This study also wants to determine the problems encountered by the medical
frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos. This study also wants to know the solutions
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undertaken to address the problem encountered by the medical frontliners in the Municipality of
Torrijos
This study will be conducted in the Municipality of Torrijos , the respondents of this
study are the 75 Medical Frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos.
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
This chapter presents the related literature, the related studies, the conceptual framework,
the null hypothesis and the definition of terms.
Related Literature
Medical Frontliners
COVID-19 has affected the life and health of more than 1 million people across the
world. This overwhelms many countries healthcare systems, and of course, affects healthcare
providers such as nurses fighting on the frontlines to safeguard the lives of everyone affected.
Exploring the issues that nurses face during their battle will help support them and develop
protocols and plans to improve their preparedness. Thus, this integrative review will explore the
issues facing nurses during their response to the COVID-19 crisis. The major issues facing
nurses in this situation are the critical shortage of nurses, beds, and medical supplies, including
personal protective equipment and, as reviews indicate, psychological changes and fears of
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infection among nursing staff. The implications of these findings might help to provide support
and identify the needs of nurses in all affected countries to ensure that they can work and
respond to this crisis with more confidence. Moreover, this will help enhance preparedness for
pandemics and consider issues when drawing up crisis plans. The recommendation is to support
the nurses, since they are a critical line of defense. Indeed, more research must be conducted in
the field of pandemics regarding nursing.
Marital Status
The above facts reflects on the study of Cuiyan Wang 2020 the participants were single
(62.9%) and had a nuclear family structure (64.8%). More than half of the participants (54.5%)
had a family member with a chronic disease condition, 25.1% were living with younger children
and 34.3% had elderly people in the family.
Shortage of PPE
As the virus kept spreading health and social care frontline workers (HSCF) were faced
with difficulties when discharging their duties. This paper was set out explore the challenges
faced by different frontline workers in health and social care during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following data analysis the research study found that lack of pandemic preparedness, shortage of
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) according to Mathew Nyanshanu et. Al 2020.
Anxiety and fear amongst professionals
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Among 587 participants, the majority (391, 73.2%) were 30–59 years old and female
(363, 61.8%). More than half (349, 59.5%) were born outside Australia and two-third (418,
71.5%) completed at least a Bachelor’s degree. The majority (401, 71.5%) had a source of
income, 243 (42.3%) self-identified as a frontline worker, and 335 (58.9%) reported financial
impact due to COVID-19. Comorbidities such as pre-existing mental health conditions (AOR
3.13, 95% CIs 1.12–8.75), increased smoking (8.66, 1.08–69.1) and alcohol drinking (2.39,
1.05–5.47) over the last four weeks, high levels of fear (2.93, 1.83–4.67) and being female (1.74,
1.15–2.65) were associated with higher levels of psychological distress. Perceived distress due to
change of employment status (4.14, 1.39–12.4), alcohol drinking (3.64, 1.54–8.58), providing
care to known or suspected cases (3.64, 1.54–8.58), being female (1.56, 1.00–2.45), being 30–59
years old (2.29, 1.21–4.35) and having medium to high levels of psychological distress (2.90,
1.82–5.62) were associated with a higher level of fear, while healthcare service use in the last
four weeks was associated with medium to high resilience according Muhammad Aziz Rahman
et. Al 2020.
Social Distancing
Social distancing policies to ensure physical distance between people have become a
crucial strategy in the battle against the spread of the coronavirus. The aim of this project is to
analyze and compare social distancing policies implemented in Denmark and Sweden in 2020.
Despite many similarities between the two countries, their response to the coronavirus pandemic
differed markedly. Whereas authorities in Denmark initiated mandatory regulations and many
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severe restrictions, Swedish authorities predominantly promoted voluntary recommendations
according to Per Nilsen et. Al 2020.
Lack of medicine
In recent years, medication shortages have become a growing worldwide issue. This
scoping review aimed to systematically synthesis the literature to report on the economic,
clinical, and humanistic impacts of medication shortages on patient outcomes according to
Jonathan Minh Phuong et. Al 2019.
Delay in Testing
Reducing unnecessary hospitals LOS has become a critical health policy goal as a
healthcare cost escalate. Preventing a delay reviewing test result represent an important
opportunity to address potentially avoidable hospitals stays and unnecessary resource utilization
according to Mei- Sing Ong et.Al 2018.
Discrimination
A new and scary discrimination trend seems to be arising in Europe and world wide
fuelled by fear of contracting COVID-19 against those that are in the frontline of action. The
daily lives of nurses, doctors and health care workers is increasingly being affected by
discriminatory attitudes and harassment. Several Equinet members have called attention to
discrimination against people suffering COVID-19 or those perceived to possibly being infected,
especially health professionals according to Margot De Vuyst et. Al 2020.

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Dishonesty and non-cooperation of some patients
Clinical dishonesty is a complex problem that threatens the health and safety of patients.
This study aimed to investigate the relationship between clinical dishonesty and perceived
clinical stress in nursing students. This cross-sectional correlational study was conducted on 395
nursing students from 4 nursing colleges. The data were collected using a demographic
information questionnaire, Nursing Student’s Perception of Clinical Stressors, and a 12-item
researcher-made questionnaire to evaluate the frequency of clinical dishonesty in the previous
semester, the frequency of witnessing dishonest behavior among peers, and the perceived
severity of unethical behavior according to Foozieh Rafati et.Al 2020.
Health care workers are facing unexpected stressors
As the Philippines undergoes a new set of quarantine protocols for the first half of August
2020, 60 medical associations have asked for a time-out and sought the national government to
revert the Philippine capital, Metro Manila back to a stricter enhanced community quarantine.2
These associations cite two main reasons for their plea for a renewed lockdown. They argue that
the healthcare system of the nation’s capital has reached a critical level. Given the seemingly
endless number of patients trooping to hospitals for emergency care and admission, the
healthcare system has been overwhelmed. As a consequence, they say that healthcare workers
have been experiencing fatigue and depression as they can no longer bear the burden of deciding
who lives and who dies.
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Recent correspondences in this journal have urged for interventions necessary to deal with the
psychological, emotional, and spiritual, well-being of the general public at this time of the
pandemic. We find however, that these interventions should be extended to our healthcare
frontliners as well. Besides the lack of personal protective equipment, our frontliners are
underpaid and do not get the respect they deserve. They answer to the call of duty while battling
fear and anxiety. Aside from this, they also experience pressure, stress, insomnia, denial, anger,
and fear. This is of course on top of constant exposure to the virus. In other countries,
psychological intervention plans for medical workers have already been enacted through
counselling and psychotherapy based on the stress-adaptation models. All over the world though,
frontliners may still suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and substance use
disorders amid the pandemic. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, health workers have already
been experiencing shift fatigue according to Hazel T. Biana 2020.
Stressfull
Physicians and veterinarians are at increased risk for suicide compared to the general
population. In particular, this risk appears to be especially pertinent to females in both of these
professions. Although increased risk is well-documented, less is known about potential causes
for suicidality in these groups. A host of risk factors have been examined in recent research,
including job stressors, personality traits, access to lethal medications, and unique work
experiences. In addition to these factors, the interpersonal psychological theory of suicidal
behavior may provide promise in specifying why physicians and veterinarians are at increased
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risk for suicide. While there is recognition of mental health issues in these professions,
significant treatment barriers remain according to Erin L. Fink- Miller et. Al 2018.
Job discription
.At the heart of the unparalleled crisis of COVID-19, healthcare workers (HCWs) face
several challenges treating patients with COVID-19 reducing the spread of infection developing
suitable short-term strategies; and formulating long-term plans. The psychological burden and
overall wellness of HCWs has received heightened awareness in news and research publications.
The purpose of this study was to provide a review on current publications measuring the effects
of COVID-19 on wellness of healthcare providers to inform interventional strategies. Between
April 6–May 17, 2020, we conducted systematic searches using combinations of these keywords
and synonyms in conjunction with the controlled vocabulary of the database physician, wellness,
wellbeing, stress, burnout, COVID-19, and SARS-CoV-2. We excluded articles without original
data, research studies regarding the wellness of non-healthcare occupations or the general public
exclusively, other outbreaks, or wellness as an epidemic. A total of 37 studies were included in
this review. The review of literature revealed consistent reports of stress, anxiety, and depressive
symptoms in HCWs as a result of COVID-19. We describe published data on HCW distress and
burnout but urge future research on strategies to enhance HCW well-being according Jacob
Shareffler 2021.
Lack of Social Support
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While stress is higher than ever for frontline workers, coping mechanism that evolve
social support are largely unavailable as a result of policies around COVID-19. Lessons from the
severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak taught as that, not only did working in jobs
that increased the risk of contracting the virus enhance the likelihood of suffering posttraumatic
stress symtomps, but so too did social isolation according to Nish Cooch 2020.
Income
According to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) 2020 an entry level
registered nurse receives an average salary of P8, 000 to P13, 500 per month. Earlier this year,
President Rodrigo Duterte signed the salary. Standardization Law that would increase the take
home pay of government employees, including nurses,
No. of Households
According to Michael Tee 2021 in his study the household size of medical frontliners
are 3–5 people (53.4%). Chinese respondents who stayed in a household with 3–5 people (p <
0.05) and more than 6 people (p < 0.05) were significantly associated with a higher score of IES-
R as compared to respondents who stayed alone.
Related Studies
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According to Fereidounie et. Al. (2020) The nurses working in the wards and care centres
designated for patients with COVID-19 are experiencing inappropriate mental, emotional, and
professional conditions despite these obstacles, nurses continue to provide proper care for their
patients. The experiences of fear and the unfavourable situation of the nurses have created a
contradiction. Nurses need more support in the setting of COVID-19 care because nursing care
practices are at serious risk. .
According to Torrentira (2020) the medical frontliners during the COVID-19 Pandemic
in the Philippines are experiencing struggles as they perform their call of duty. To uncover these
struggles, this qualitative research made use of the responses of the fifteen medical practitioners
including medical doctors, nurses, and health aides in a designated COVID-19 hospital in Davao
City, Philippines.
According to Wang et.Al (2020) Fear and anxiety have sparked along with the increasing
number of diagnosed cases, and stigma and discrimination arise towards Chinese, Wuhan
natives, as well as people who have contact with those infected patients. As social workers who
cherish the value of human dignity and respect, and strive for social justice, we need to realise
that the real danger is not only the virus itself, but also the social panic, stigma and
discrimination provoked by this pandemic. And we social workers need to take action.
According to Sun (2020) Previous studies have shown that during sudden natural
disasters and infectious diseases, nurses will sacrifice their own needs to actively participate in
the antiepidemic work and make selfless contributions out of moral and professional
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responsibility.7 At the same time, nurses would be in a state of physical and mental stress and
feel isolated and helpless in the face of health threats and pressure from the high-intensity work
caused by such public health emergencies.
According to Kackin et.Al (2020) The experiences and psychosocial problems among
nurses caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were categorised under three themes, which
were further divided into subcategories. The theme of the effects of the outbreak was divided
into working conditions, psychological effects and social effects; the theme of short-term coping
strategies was divided into normalisation, refusal to dwell on experiences, avoidance, expression
of emotions and distraction and the theme of necessities was divided into psychosocial support
and resource management.
According to Samuelsson (2018) The nursing profession is known to be a stressful job
and nurses worldwide encounters events that is affecting their health. When nurses experience
poor health, sentential events such as medical errors could increase, it could also have a negative
effect on the teamwork which leads to a decreased quality and safety within the health care.
According to Vo (2020) The reality of witnessing suffering and death consistently and
communicating complex information to patients and families with poor coping skills increases
the risk of developing burnout. In addition to providing care, nurses have to navigate around the
limited supply of physical protective equipment, ventilators, and hospital beds, let alone deal
with staff shortages. On top of these challenges, there is fear of contracting the virus itself
because it is both novel and invisible to the naked eye. Frontline workers who have been in
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direct, in-person contact with patients diagnosed with or being treated/evaluated for symptoms
related to COVID-19 are more prone to contracting it than someone who works exclusively from
home.
According to Thobaity (2020) Nurses are on the frontline, and they have a significant role
in fighting COVID-19. Nurses are facing critical shortages of nursing staff, beds, and medical
supplies. Thus, addressing these needs and providing supplies is essential. More research is
needed to explore the experiences of nurses who are on the frontlines for better development,
preparedness, and response measures for future pandemics.
According to Jecker (2020) COVID-19 has sickened more than one million people and
outpaced the capacity of hospitals around the world to meet demand for vital medical resources,
such as ventilators, intensive care unit (ICU) beds, and personal protective equipment (PPE). The
best way to manage pandemics such as COVID-19 is with robust emergency preparedness prior
to the disaster.
According to Dy (2020) Shorter work shift duration or exposure time reduces the risk
faced by the frontliners, especially the security guard and the triage nurse. The protection level
against SARS-CoV-2 transmission must be increased accordingly if shortening of work shift
duration is not feasible.
According to Christinal et. al (2020) challenges among the frontline health care workers,
reported that the lack of preparedness for the pandemic generated a lot of bewilderment, fear and
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panic. Moreover, the repercussion of COVID 19 has precipitated stress and anxiety leading to
mind wandering, hampering intellectual functioning, job performance andeveryday’s chores.
Status of Medical Frontliners

in the Municipality of Torrijos,
Marinduque during the Time
of Pandemic.
Conceptual Framework
The model to be used in this study is the Independent- Dependent Variable Model
Independent Variable Dependent Variable
Medical
Frontliners
Figure No.1 Research Paradigm
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Figure No. 1 shows the research paradigm of the study. The independent variable is the Medical
Frontliners while dependent variables is the status of the medical frontliners in the municipality
of Torrijos, Marinduque, during the time of pandemic
Definition of Terms
To facilitate understanding of this research study, the following were hereby defined
operationally as used in the research study.
Medical Frontliners – as used in this study, it refers to the respondents of the study.
Municipality of Torrijos- as used in this study, it refers to the locale of the study.
Pandemic- as used in this study, it refers to the time covers of the study.
Personal Life- as used in this study, it refers to the one of the variables being used to know the
status of the medical frontliners,
Problems- As used in this study, it refers to the challenges encountered by the medical
frontliners during the time of pandemic to be determine by the study
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Status- As used in this study it refers to the situation of the medical frontliners.
Solutions - As used in this study, it refers to the solutions undertaken by the medical frontliners
during the time of pandemic to be determine by the study.
Work- as used in this study, it refers to the one of the variables being used to know the status of
the medical fronliners.
CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the discussion on the research design, the research locale, the
research population and sample, the research instrument, the data gathering procedure, and the
statistical treatment of data.
Research Design
The researcher will use the descriptive method of research. According Manuel and Medel
(1976) as cited by Dupuan (2012), this methods involves the description, recording, anlysis, and
interpretation of the present nature, composition or process phenomena. The focus is on
prevailing conditions, group or thing behaves or function in the present. It often involves some
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type of comparison or contrast. The method is applicable in this study because shows picture of
the experiences of Medical Frontliners.
This method is applicable in this study because it will help the researcher to know the
status of the medical frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos, Marinduque, during the time of
pandemic.
Research Locale
The study will be conducted in the Municipaliy of Torrijos, Marinduque. The researcher
chose the Municipality of Torrijos because the researcher residents from that Municipality.
Figure No. 1: Location Map of the Philippines

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Source: One World-Nations Online
Figure No. 1 shows the map of the Philippines, the Philippines is an archipelago that
comprises 7,641 islands, which occupy a total land area of 300,000 square kilometers that have
three main islands, namely: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao where in Luzon the Province of
Marinduque is located. The researcher secured copy of this map from one world-nations online.
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Figure No. 2: Location Map of the Province of Marinduque
Source: The Island Bunny
Figure No. 2 shows the map of the Province of Marinduque.showing the administrative
boundary of its six (6) municipalities. The researcher secured a copy of this map from the island
bunny.
Figure No. Map of the Municipality of Torrijos
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Figure No. 4 shows the map of the Municipality of Torrijos, which served as the local of
this study.
Research Population and Sample
The table below shows the respondents of the study who are the Medical Frontliners in the
Municipality of Torrijos, Marinduque. The respondents are whole population of Medical
Frontliners. There were 75 respondents to represent the desired responses needed in the study.
Complete enumeration of the population of the study will be used.
Table 1 No. of Respondents (Medical Frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos)
Frequency
Total
Position Permanent Contractual Job Order
Chief of Hospital I 1 1
Adm. Officer II 1 1
Adm. Aide III ( Driver ) 3 3
Cook I 1 1
Adm. Aide I ( Utility 3 3
Worker)
Adm. Aide II ( Ground 2 2
Worker)
Adm. Aide III ( Clerk ) 1 1
Adm. Asst. I ( Clerk ) 1 1
Laundry Worker I 1 1
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Medical Officer III 2 2
Dentist II 4 4
Nurse III 1 1
Nurse II 4 4
Nurse I 4 3 7
Midwife 10 1 11
Nursing Attendant 2 2 2 6
Dental Aide 1 1
Security Guard 1 1 2
Medical Records Point 1 1
Person
Local Revenue Collection 1 1
Clerk
Medical Technologist I 1 1
Pharmacist I 3 3
Nut/ Dietitian 1 1 1
Social Welfare Officer 1 1
Barangay Health Aid 1 3 2 6
Administrative Aid 2 2
Rural Health Physician 1 3 4
Therapist 1 1
Research Instrument
The researcher will used a self- administered survey questionnaire and conduct direct
interview to the respondents. Survey Questionnaire has three areas answered by the respondents
such as the most status of the Medical Frontliners interms of work and personal life, problems
ecountered and solutions undertaken to address the problem encountered.
The research instrument will be validated by an expert nurse from Dr. Damian Reyes
Memorial Hospital, Mrs. Wanda Sarmiento
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Data Gathering Procedure
In this study, the researcher will ask permission to the concerned person in the Municipality of
Torrijos, Marinduque through letters regarding the conduct of survey with the Medical
Frontliners in the area.. After getting the permit, the schedule on the conduct of the survey will
be properly frame. This will personally done by the researcher. After the retrieval, gathered data
will be tabulate, analyze and interpret.
Statistical Treatment of Data
In order to answer the research questions presented in this study, the following statistical
tools will be used:
For problems no. 1, 2 and 3, to determine the status of medical frontliners in the
Municipality of Torrijos, during the time of pandemic the statistical treatment to be used is
frequency
For question no.1,2 and 3 the statistical treatment used were frequency and percentage
The formula for percentage
P=f/n x 100
P= percentage
F= frequency
N= total number of respondents
CHAPTER IV
PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA
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This chapter presents the tabulation and analysis of data gathered from the accomplished
questionnaires. The tables were used in the presentation of data with the interpretation following
the sequence of the specific problem raised in this study.
Problem 1. What is the Status of Medical Frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos,
Marinduque during the time of Pandemic?
Table 1. Status of Medical Front Liners in the Municipality of Torrijos, Marinduque during the
time of pandemic in terms of Work
1.1 Work
Indicators Frequency Percentage
Employment Status
Employed 51 68.0
Worker 24 32.0
Self employed 0 0.0
Total 75 100
Table 1 shows the employment status, among the 75 respodents, 51 of them are employed that
represents (68.0%), followed by 24 workers of (32%) respectively.
According to Llop-Gironés et al., 2021, medical frontliners especially nurses play a critical role
in the provision of care and the optimization of health services resources worldwide, which is
particularly relevant during the current COVID-19 pandemic had increased its employment of
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medical workers. Today the employment and working conditions of many nurses worldwide are
precarious, and the current pandemic has prompted more visibility to the vulnerability to health-
damaging factors of nurses globally. The higher demands for medical frontliners had been
increased as the pandemic began to worsen. Many medical frontliners are currently employed but
still, the need for more medical workers got increased as well to support the needs of the sicked
people.
No. of working hours before
pandemic
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8 hours 75 100.0
8 hours with Over time (OT) 0 0.0
Total 75 100
Table 2 shows the suggested following working hours to be spent by government
officials which 8 hours working of loads according to civil service.
The Civil Service Commission (CSC), Under Section 5, Rule XVII of the Omnibus Rules
Implementing Book V of Executive Order No. 292, all government officials, and employees are
required to render eight working hours a day for five days a week, or a total of 40 hours a week
excluding time for lunch.
No. of working hours before
pandemic
8 hours 75 100.0
8 hours with Over time (OT) 0 0.0
Total 75 100
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Table 3 shows no. of working hours. Same as from the number 2 which is 8 hours a days,
we are in low risk so there is no need to give additional hours to all frontliners.
According to Buchan & Catton, 2020, During COVID-19 pandemic, nurses, like
other healthcare workers, have been working long hours and/or with different shift patterns, and
nursing staff has been reassigned from other clinical areas, unlike their usual working hours
before the pandemic for those in high-risk areas. This scenario resulted in many health workers
to have fallen ill and many others are experiencing work-related stress and burnout. Unlike, those
areas which are in low risk of Covid-19, they are not required to work longer hours. As resulted
in the study of Bagon, 2021, whereas low-risk areas are not experiencing double shifting and
longer hours to work and to render service to the people.
Working Scheme
Regular 5 73.3
Skeletal 13 17.3
Shifting 3 4.0
By Appointment 4 5.3
Total 75 100
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Table 4 shows Working Scheme, majority of the respondents (55 or 73.3%) are regular
employees who dominated the working schemes, so they need to attend to their patients regularly
in face to face basis direct. The skeletal workforce (13 or 17.3%) by appointment (4 or 5.3%) and
the least (3 or 4.0%) are shifting.
The Civil Service Commission (CSC) has amended the guidelines on alternative work
arrangements (AWA) in government to align with the community quarantine rules issued by the
Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF). Areas
under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) and Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine
(MECQ) shall adopt work-from-home arrangements, while a skeleton workforce may be allowed
unless a different operational capacity is provided in agencies providing essential or critical
services.
Meanwhile, agencies located in areas placed under GCQ and MGCQ may adopt a four-
day workweek in combination with other AWAs, provided that the required 40-hour workweek
is complied with. On the other hand, “staggered working hours” is renamed as “work
shifting/flexible (staggered) working hours” to mean the adoption of flexible reporting hours to
limit the number of employees in an office at a given time.
Table 5 Job Position of the Medical Frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos
Frequency
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Total
Position Permanent Contractual Job Order
Chief of Hospital I 1 1
Adm. Officer II 1 1
Adm. Aide III ( Driver ) 3 3
Cook I 1 1
Adm. Aide I ( Utility 3 3
Worker)
Adm. Aide II ( Ground 2 2
Worker)
Adm. Aide III ( Clerk ) 1 1
Adm. Asst. I ( Clerk ) 1 1
Laundry Worker I 1 1
Medical Officer III 2 2
Dentist II 4 4
Nurse III 1 1
Nurse II 4 4
Nurse I 4 3 7
Midwife 10 1 11
Nursing Attendant 2 2 2 6
Dental Aide 1 1
Security Guard 1 1 2
Medical Records Point 1 1
Person
Local Revenue Collection 1 1
Clerk
Medical Technologist I 1 1
Pharmacist I 3 3
Nut/ Dietitian 1 1 1
Social Welfare Officer 1 1
Barangay Health Aid 1 3 2 6
Administrative Aid 2 2
Rural Health Physician 1 3 4
Therapist 1 1
Total 53 12 8 75
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Table 5 shows every position has a corresponding number according to job frequencies.
Here in Job description we have 12 nurses and 6 nursing attendant enough to attend to all covid
patient in Municipality of Torrijos.
As pointed out by Rho, et al., (2020) Before the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 30
million US workers were employed in six broad industries that are now on the frontlines of the
response. They include grocery store clerks, nurses, cleaners, warehouse workers, and bus
drivers, midwives, admin clerks, Social Welfare Officer, medical records personnel, dentists,
therapists, laundry workers, and many more. As the pandemic arises, many more medical
workers are hired to support the need to give more service to people.
1.2 Personal life
Age
24-28 13 17.3
29-33 19 25.3
34-38 7 9.3
39-43 16 21.3
44-48 5 6.7
49-53 11 14.7
54-58 4 5.3
Total 75 100
Table 6 shows, in terms of age, the majority (19 or 25.3%) of the respondents are 29-33 years
old so it is a common age of frontliners, followed by (16 or 21.3%) who were 39-43 years old.
The least (4 or 5.3%) is 54-58 years old.

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Moreover, as the result of the study of Tamang, et al., 2020, during the Covid-19 the
majority population of the medical facilities is ranging from ages 25-40 years old. More hospitals
tend to hire younger applicants who are more robust, eager to work double shifting, and not
prone to sickness. Younger medical workers having more knowledge, attitude, and practice
regarding the COVID-19 were valuable assets of the hospitals.
Healthcare professionals who were younger and working in hospitals reported of higher
workload as mentioned in the study of Razu et al., 2021. This might be due to a higher work
assignment for younger people and a greater outbreak of COVID-19 in the capital city.
Educational Attainment
High School Graduate 5 6.7
College Undergraduate 6 8.0
College Graduate 64 85.3
Total 75 100
Table 7 shows, majority of the respondents (64 or 85.3%) are college graduates. It shows
that most of them are college graduates which composed of nurses, doctors, midwives, and many
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others in the population. There are 6 and 5 respondents who belong to college undergraduate
and high school graduate.
During the Covid-19 break-out, many professionals don’t pursue their graduate school
studies since as frontliners they have a bigger and wider responsibility to the people and to their
country, college graduates who are professionals in the field of medicine as cited in the study of,
Bagon, 2021.
Marital Status
Single 49 65.3
Married 26 34.7
Total 75 100
Table 7 shows, On marital status, the majority of the respondents are single (49 or 65.3%)
while the least (26 or 34.7%) are married. It is hard for them to look for another mate due to their
hectic schedule.
According to Time Collection, during the coronavirus outbreak, workers across a vast
array of industries have found themselves essential parts of the machine that keeps the world in
motion, required to do their jobs despite the great risk and to continue providing good quality
service to the people. Many medical frontliners remained single during the pandemic because of
their tremendous hospital duty and also the threat might bring to them with this Covid-19.
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No. of Household Members

1-3 26 34.7
4-6 40 53.3
7-9 9 12.0
Total 75 100
Table 8 shows a total of (40 or 53.3%) frontliners have 4-6 members of the household
and it’s the highest given frequencies, it shows that having a 4-6 children is an ideal number.
According to Razu, et al., 2021, Parents of healthcare professionals remained concerned
about their children working in such a risky environment. The majority of the medical frontliners
have young family members at home. They often tried to bargain with them to stay home, but it
was merely parental concern, and the participants continued work after pacifying them.
Generally, their relatives maintained a social distance and refrained from visiting their houses.
But frontliners considered this as positive to ensure the safety of both their relatives and their
family members.
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Income
8,000-12,000 17 22.7
13,000-17,00 13 17.3
18,000-22,000 9 12.0
23,000-27,000 11 14.7
28,000-32,000 3 4.0
33,000-37,000 5 6.7
Above response 7 9.3
No response 10 13.3
Total 75 100
Table 9 shows, majority of the respondents has (13 or 17.3%) the income which is 13,
000- 17, 000. Most of them employees are regular workers who are gaining from salary grade 8
to 10.
The Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) says it would continue to ask the government for
an increase in the salaries of medical frontliners as nothing has changed since the COVID-19
pandemic was declared early last year. The medical frontliners can no longer compensate for the
needs of their families through their salaries. Most medical workers are receiving an average
salary depending on their position and job description, Lalu, 2021.
Problem 2. What are the problems encounter of medical frontiners in the Municipality of
Torrijos.
Problems encountered by the medical frontliners in the Frequency Rank

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Municipality of Torrijos, during the time of pandemic
Lack of financial support from the Local Government 23 11
Lack of Facilities 51 4
-Lack of Isolation Facility

Lack of tools and Equipment
- Shortage of PPE 56 2
54 3
- Shortage supply oxygen 44 7
32 9
- Lack of Medicine/ Vaccine
- Delay in testing
Discrimination 48 5
Dishonesty and non- cooperation of some patients 46 6
Stressfull 66 1
Social distancing 43 8
Anxiety and Fear amongst professional 28 10
Table 10 shows the problem encounters of medical frontliners, being stressed or even a
stressful working environment topped the criteria a total of (66), followed by the shortage of
tools and equipment, lack of facility and so on so forth.
Further studies of, Razu, et al., 2021, Though the government demanded on the mass
media that every hospital has been provided with the required numbers of PPEs, and other
medical equipment, the fact on the ground was different. Especially, study participants in private
medical facilities need to buy their own PPEs as they were not sure of the availability in the
health facilities. As the results of the study of Nyashanu, et al., (2020), regarding the impact of
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COVID-19 suggest that health and social care organizations are not adequately equipped to deal
with extreme pandemics like COVID-19. Therefore, with a view to strengthening future
pandemic preparedness, a coordinated approach between government and health and social care
organizations to manage and contain the problems encountered and lacking in the medical
frontliners in this pandemic is much needed. Furthermore, greater efficiency in testing and
isolation of affected individuals by COVID-19 would appear key in managing and preventing the
spread of the pandemic.
Problem 3. What are solutions undertaken to address the problem encountered by the medical
frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos Marinduque?
Table 11. The solutions undertaken to address the problems encountered by the medical
frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos, Marinduque.
Problems encountered by Solutions undertaken to Frequency Rank
the medical frontliners in address the problem encountered
the Municipality of Torrijos, of medical frontliners
during the time of pandemic
Lack of financial support from Looking for another source of fund 21 8
the local Government to support their basic needs.
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Lack of Facilities 59 3
 Lack if isolation Seek fund from the local
facility government
Lack of tools and equipment 213 1
 Shortage of PPE
 Shortage of supply Raise this problems in the
oxygen Department of Health (DOH)
 Lack of medicine/
vaccine
 Delay in testing
Descrimination Conduct program or orientation 46 4
Dishonesty and non- Always check the temperature of the 46 4
cooperation of some patients patients and give advices

Stressful Conduct psychological support and 63 2
interventions through the help of
DSWD
Social Distancing Empower the ordinance about the 43 6
Social Distancing
Anxiety and fear amongst Conduct orientation to reverse their 33 7
professional mind
Table 11 shows the solutions undertaken to address the common problems encountered
by the frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos. Raise this problem in the Department of Health
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topped the criteria a total of 213, for the frontliners they raise the problem from DOH to provide
the needs of each other.
According to Razu, et al., 2021 it can conclude that healthcare professionals need to be
supported with adequate resources for both physical and mental health. While workloads need to
be lessened, proper coordination and access to information as promised in the National Health
Policy during this public health emergency should be put in practice to ensure quality healthcare
services. As the National Government should support and care for the medical frontliners.
POLICY RECOMMENDATION
The Policy Proposal:
“Philippine Mental Care for Fontliners: A Policy Proposal to Protect the
Health of our New Heroes Who Protect Us All “
My policy recommended is to cambat the Covid 19. If we Priorities first the
health and safety of our Protectors, there’s a big chances that it would be
successfully fight the coronavirus pandemic. “Protecting all frontline workers is
important as they are most vulnerable to health risks. We cannot afford to
overlook workers whom we may not see on a daily basis, this applies now as well
as after the current COVID-19 outbreak.
As a future Public Administrator/Public Servant I want to propose this kind of
Policy because of increasing reports of infections, illness, attacks and deaths
among frontliners health workers worldwide, and according to World Health
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(WHO) they are calling on governments and health care leaders to protect the
health workers who protect us all.
The Policy Problem:
The policy problem is about infections, illness, attacks, and deaths among
frontline health workers.
The Problem/s addressed by the policy proposal is about the Covid-19 Pandemic,
Health, and Safety of our frontliners.
The key Issues/Problems are about the infections, illness, and deaths of frontline
Workers, yet according to the news, the medical frontliners during the COVID-19
Pandemic in the Philippines are experiencing struggles as they perform their call
of duty. Through thematic content analysis, the following struggles are identified:
limited supply of food, need to stay away from one’s own home, being evicted
from a rented apartment, tendency to quit the job, emotional stress and
depression, social discrimination, shortage of personal protective equipment, and
the death of manpower, overall this struggles will definitely have a huge impact
on their Physical and Mental Health. The impact of COVID-19 reaches beyond
the immediate physical health concerns. Besides the lack of personal protective
equipment, our frontliners are underpaid and do not get the respect they deserve.
They also experience pressure, stress, insomnia, denial, anger, and fear.
The Policy Agenda:
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The policy recomended address the problem by means of taking actions on what
really matters, and since the problem is the deaths of frontline workers, the
proposal become a savior of become a voice of health workers, it will ensure to
strike a balance among all important factors that must take account, these propose
policy is a solutions to address this problems and for me this can have far-
reaching effects once implemented.
The other alternative proposal that have been considered is Psychological
Intervention plans for Medical Frontliners or the “Counselling and
Psychotherapy”, Effective, rapid responsive leadership, clarity in pandemic
guidelines and collaborations with primary health care, especially protecting the
health and safety of Frontline Workers it will beat this kind of outbreak.
The Policy Formulation:
In consultation of my Policy, it is concerned of course in health sectors, especially
in the World Health Organization, which is promoting a better health for
everyone, everywhere, they are direct and coordinate international health within
the United Nations System.
The organization that can help the medical frontliners are the DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH (DOH) which promote, protect, preserve and restore the health of
the people through delivery of health services and goods.
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DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE AND DEVELOPMENT, which
also protect and rehabilitate the physical and mental disabled and the socially
advantage.
The Policy Adoption and Implementation:
The implementation of the policy refers to the actually enacting the proposed
solutions. Whether a given policy has been implemented successfully depends on
three major criteria:
First, A policy needs to be communicated from the creator (e.g. a local official, or
the president) to the relevant governing body within the bureaucracy that has the
power to enact it. Thus the policy designed to help the frontline workers to protect
their physical and mental health.
Second, a policy need to be communicated clearly and easy to interpret if it is too
implemented effectively.
Finally, the resources applied to implementation must integrate with existing
process and agencies, without causing extensive disruption, competition or
conflict.
My proposal has a need of administrative decision making, rulemaking, decision
making, adjudication, enforcement and operation.
Through the implementation of the proposal, Department of Health (DOH) and
World Health Organization (WHO) is the one who is involved in the proposed
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policy, it promote holistic mental health wellness in light of world suicide
prevention day, The Department of Health (DOH), is jointly raising awareness on
the importance of public mental health, especially amidst the Covid-19 Pandemic
yet DOH, together with WHO Philippines, calls for every Filipino to be more
involved in the discussion around mental health.
Protective clothes and equipment for healthcare workers to prevent them
catching Corona Virus and other highly infectious diseases. Healthcare
workers treating patients with infections such as coronavirus (COVID-19) are risk
of infection themselves. Health workers use personal protective equipment (PPE)
to shields themselves from droplets from coughs, sneezes or other body
infections, PPE may include aprons, gowns, gloves mask and breathing
equipment (respirators) and googles if they have this kind of equipment’s they can
protect not just their physical selves but mentally as well because they may feel
comfortable knowing that they are safe while helping our country.
The Policy Evaluation:
WHO (World Health Organization) and other Government agency concerning to
Health and safety, are evaluators of the policy, it includes several types of
assessment, which includes monitoring, performance, surveys and audit. Yet this
policy may be evaluated through the standard evaluation criteria like:

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effectiveness, efficiency, consistency, utility and relevance
References:
https://www.who.int
https://www.pyschosocial.com
https://ww.cnn.ph
www.emro.who.int
https://academic.oup.com
The researchers conducted a face to face interview in order to answer the problems in
SOP:
The first Respondent is currently an Employed Nurse 3, her working hours is during and before
pandemic is 8 hrs, sometimes with OT and her working scheme is regular on her personal life,
she is 45 years old her school attainment is college graduate basically she is married, and they
are 4 households in the family her income being nurse is 63 thousand. According to interview,
the problem they encountered during the pandemic is the limited source of PPE and various
equipment as well as RTCP that can be used to prevent the spread of covid 19, adding that the
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patients are said to be against quarantine so they have difficulty. , they also encounter being
stressful then and until now due to the rapid spread of the virus to humans. According to her, she
said that in order to address the problems they encountered, their doctor or head is requesting
from the Government and DOH to provide the needs of the medical frontliners, adding that some
of them have donated equipments.
The second respondent she is an emplyed Nurse 2 her working hours during and before
pandemic is 8 hours a day and her working scheme is regular. Her personal life, she is 31 years
old a college graduate and her status in life is single, they are 9 members in the family and her
income being nurse is 45 thousand monthly. According to her, they encoutered problems such as,
shortage of PPE, lack of facilities, and then they also experienced being discriminated against by
people outside who she met because she was working in the hospital and another problem that
they had was being stressed, because she works in a hospital with covid patients, he is scared
because he has a family to go home to, so covid is said to spread quickly. He said that in order to
address the problem, some people donate equipment, then the DOH and the Government provide
their needs.
The third respondent is an employed one of the nurses in the Municipality of Torrijos, her
working hour during and before the pandemic is 8 hours a day her working scheme is regular and
sometimes skeletal. Her age is 41 a college graduate registered nurse and she is married, they are
4 households in the family and her income is 28 thousand a month. According to this, they have
problems encountered during the pandemic and those are the ones that lack equipment such as
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PPE, oxygen, and others. He added that they were all stressed because he was with sick people
and they were afraid for the family they were taking home. To address the problem the DOH and
the Government are providing, some are donating.
The fourth respondent is a midwife she is an employed her working hours during and before the
pandemic is 8 hours a day, sometimes OT, and her working scheme is skeletal. In terms of
personal life she is 57 years old, a college graduate they are 6 members in their family her
income is 36 thousand. As a midwife, she said it was difficult what they went through during the
pandemic and even now. They are very afraid of their patients who are covid positive because it
spreads quickly so they stress a lot, she said that the virus happens one after another so there is a
lack of facilities and equipments so they are forced to seek the DOH and government to provide
yung need nila to combat the covid 19.
The last respondents is a employed he is an Administrative aid her working hours during and
before pandemic is 8 hours, his working scheme is regular. Interms of his personal life, he is 43
years old and he is college graduate they are 5 members in the family and his income is 28
thousand. According to him, stressfull and discrimination is one of the problem they encountered
during pandemic, because they are working in hospital with covid patients they also encountered
lack of equipments like, PPE and oxygen because of increasing the number of covid patients the
facilties is lack. According to him to addres the problem the DOH and government are provide
the needs of individual to fight the covid 19.
CHAPTER V
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SUMMARY, SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter discusses the result of the study. It presents the summary, conclusions and
recommendations formulated by the researchers based from the gathered.
SUMMARY
This study aims to determine the status of medical fronliners in the Municipality of Torrijos,
Marinduque during the time of pandemic. There were 75 respondents, Medical Fronrliners total
population.
Further, the research design used in this research was descriptive method using survey
questionnaire to gather the data and face to face interview needed in the study. Researchers have
gathered information to know the status of medical frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos,
Marinduque.
Summary of findings
The findings of the study are summarized as follows:
1. The status of medical frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos, Marinduque
during the time of pandemic
1.1 On Employment Status, majority of the respondents are employed
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1.2 On working hours during and before pandemic to be spent by government
officials which 8 hours working of loads according to civil service.
1.3 On Working Scheme, majority of the respondents (55 or 73.3%) are regular
employees dominated the working scheme so they need to attend their patient regularly in face to
face basis direct.
1.4 On Job Positions of the Medical frontliners. Every position has a
corresponding number according to job frequencies. The Nurses are 16 and the nursing
attendat are 6 and that enough to attend the covid patients.
1.5 Interms on age, majority ( 19 or 25.3%) of the respondents are 29-33 years
old so it is a common age of frontliners,
1.6 Majority of the respondents (64 or 85.3%) are college graduated. It shows that
most of the time undergraduate or a person did not finish college degree did not allowed
to work as frontliners.
1.7 On marital status, majority of the respondents are single (49 or 65.3%) it
really hard for them to look for other mate due to their hectic schedule.
1.8 A total of (40 or 53.3%) frontliners have 4-6 members of the household and
it’s the highest given frequencies, it shows that having a 4-6 children is an ideal number.
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1.9 Majority of the respondents has (13 or 17.3%) the income which is 13, 000-
17, 000 most of them employees are regular workers who are gaining from salary grade 8
to 10.
2. The Problems encountered of medical frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos,
Marinduque during the time of pandemic.
The study revealed that medical frontliners are encountering different problems while in
duty during the time of pandemic, being stressed or even a stressful working environment topped
the criteria a total of (66). As the world went into lockdown, healthcare workers and first
responders went to work. A heavy burden was place on these fronline workers, as they had no
choice but to put their health and lives at risk to serve their communities. Stressors such as fear
of the unknown, self-isolation during quaratines, lack of access to proper equipment or medical
materials, and other job- related factors all contributed to the psychological distress that frontline
workers felt as they responded to the pandemic.
2. What are the solutions undertaken to address the problem encountered of medical
frontliners.
On the solutions undertaken to address the problems by the respondents, the topped in the
criteria with the frequency of (213) is to raise the problems from the Department of
Health (DOH) to provide the needs of medical fronliners during the time of pandemic.
The Department of Health (DOH) supports the call of medical professionals and health
workers groups for a better COVID-19 response by household communities, local and
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national governments. Department of Health provides the needs of health professionals to
fight the pandemic, such as tools and equipment (medicine, vaccine, PPE and oxygen),
and provides facilities for isolation of covid patients. The Department is also looking to
develop more impactful interventions throughout the national response and beyond.
Conclusion
As per results of the findings, the researchers know the status of medical frontliners
interms of work and personal life, one of them are college graduated. The medical frontliners
encountered problems during pandemic, stressfull are topped the criteria. The respondents said,
raising the problems from Department of Health (DOH) are the topped solutions to address the
problems encountered to provide their needs of medical frontliners.
Recommendations
1. For the Department of Health (DOH) should supports the call of medical professionals and
health workers groups for a better COVID-19, may also provide the needs of health professionals
to fight the pandemic, such as tools and equipment (medicine, vaccine, PPE and oxygen) for a
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better serving of health workers from the covid patients, and provides facilities for isolation of
covid patients to avoid contact with others to combat the vocid-19 pandemic.
2. Department of health may also conduct psychological support and intervention for the medical
frontliners who are stressed/anxiety attacked that caused fear amongst professional,.
3. Empower the ordinance about social distancing to keep people safe, may conduct program or
orientation for the medical frontliners who victim of discrimination
4. Always check the temperature of the patients and give advices to avoid dishonesty and non-
cooperation of some patient.
For the Department of Health (DOH) should supports the call of medical professionals and
health workers groups for a better COVID-19, may also provide the needs of health professionals
to fight the pandemic, such as tools and equipment (medicine, vaccine, PPE and oxygen) for a
better serving of health workers from the covid patients, and provides facilities for isolation of
covid patients to avoid contact with others to combat the vocid-19 pandemic.
==========================================================================================

========================================================================================================
Department of health may also conduct psychological support and intervention for the medical
frontliners who are stressed/anxiety attacked that caused fear amongst professional, empower the
ordinance about social distancing to keep people safe, may conduct program or orientation for
the medical frontliners who victim of discrimination and lastly, always check the temperature of
the patients and give advices to avoid dishonesty and non- cooperation of some patient.
References
Buchan & Catton, 2020, COVID-19 and the International Supply of Nurse, ICN.,
https://www.icn.ch/system/fles/documents/202007/COVID19_internationalsupplyofnurses_Repo
rt_FINAL.pdf
Civil Service Commission, 2016, http://www.csc.gov.ph/new-updates/1206-csc-reminds-gov

%E2%80%99t-employees-to-observe-working-hours.html
Bagon, C. 2021, The working arrangements of Medical Frontliners to those in High-risk and
Low-risk Areas during the Pandemic, Graduate School, Golden Gate Colleges
==========================================================================================

========================================================================================================
Llop-Gironés et al. Hum Resour Health (2021) 19:112, Employment and working conditions of
nurses: where and how health inequalities have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic,
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-021-00651-7
Civil Service Commission (CSC), 2020, CSC revises interim guidelines on alternative work
arrangements in gov’t, http://web.csc.gov.ph/new-updates/2029-csc-revises-interim-guidelines-
on-alternative-work-arrangements-in-gov%E2%80%99t.html
Rho, et al., 2020, A Basic Demographic Profile of Workers in Frontline Industries, Center for
Economic and Policy Research, https://cepr.net/a-basic-demographic-profile-of-workers-in-
frontline-industries/
Tamang et al. BMC Public Health (2020) 20:1905, COVID-19: a National Survey on perceived
level of knowledge, attitude and practice among frontline healthcare Workers in Nepal,
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-020-10025-8
Razu SR, et al., (2021) Challenges Faced by Healthcare Professionals During the COVID-19
Pandemic: A Qualitative Inquiry From Bangladesh. Front. Public Health 9:647315.
doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.647315
Lalu, G., 2021 Inquiry.Net, Health workers seeking pay hike say nothing has changed since
pandemic started, https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1396226/health-workers-seeking-salary-hike-
claim-nothing-changed-since-pandemic-started
Nyashanu,M. et al., (2020) Exploring the challenges faced by frontline workers in health and
social care amid the COVID-19 pandemic: experiences of frontline workers in the English
Midlands region, UK, Journal of Interprofessional Care, 34:5, 655-661,
DOI: 10.1080/13561820.2020.1792425
==========================================================================================

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Republic of the Philippines

MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

STATUS OF MEDICAL FRONTLINERS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF TORRIJOS,

MARINDUQUE DURING THE TIME OF PANDEMIC: BASIS FOR POLICY

A Thesis Proposal Presented

to the Faculty of School of Governance

Marinduque State College

Of the Requirements for the Degree

Bachelor of Public Administration

MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

MANTAL MAUREEN R., DECEMBER 2021. STATUS OF MEDICAL FRONTLINERS

IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF TORRIJOS, MARINDUQUE; DURING THE TIME OF

PANDEMIC BASIS FOR POLICY RECOMMENDATION. Bachelor of Public

Administration Institute of Governance and Public Affairs.

Adviser: Vergel Mayo, MPA

highest frequencies (40 or 53.3%) 4 to 6 members of the family. A breakdown of income

MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

3. List of Tables iii

2. CHAPTER I: THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

 Statement of the Problem 4

 Significance of the Study 5

 Scope and Limitation and Delimitation 5

3. CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

3. Conceptual Framework with Research Paradigm 16

4. CHAPTER III: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

2. Research Locale with Map of Research Locale 18

3. Population & Sample with table showing the distribution of Population 20

MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

5. Data Gathering Procedure 22

6. Statistical Treatment of Data 22

1. Application for Oral Defense of Thesis Proposal 28

2. Letter to the Member of Oral Examination Committee 29

3. Letter to the Member of Oral Examination Committee 30

4. Letter to the Member of Oral Examination Committee 31

MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

Table Number Title Page

1. No. of Respondents of Medical Frontliners 21

Figure Number Title Page

2. Map of the Philippines 19

3. Map of the Province of Marinduque 19

4. Map of the Municipality of Torrijos 20

MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

masks, visors, gloves, scrubs and suits to avoid contagion.

MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

the US, the worst affected country so far.

Torrijos Medical Staff in a hospital at Marinduque are making do with disposable

MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

we await for the official PPEs.

Cruz, Gasan and to the Marinduque Provincial Hospital.

will serve as the basis for policy recommendation.

Statement of the Problem

Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions:

time of pandemic in terms of;

MARINDUQUE STATE COLLEGE

Torrijos, Marinduque, during the time of pandemic?

frontliners in the Municipality of Torrijos, Marinduque

Significance of the Study

The findings of this study may be beneficial to the following:

as an information of their experiences of frontliners.

frontliners can better protect themselves against COVID-19.