Family members of dying COVID-19 patients say their goodbyes through a walkie talkie

"It's really a very sad death because everyone's alone and in isolation. They can't even see their family."

This was how Medical City Ortigas' Emergency Medicine Physician Dr. Sally Mae Abelanes described the last moments of patients before succumbing to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In a report by Raffy Tima on "I-Witness," Abelanes said during normal operations, their jobs would end after patients have been declared dead. But COVID-19 has changed all that. Because family members are not allowed to visit their loved ones during their last moments, doctors now take the extra mile to be with their patients and pray for them.

The ER doctor shared that in the ICU, video calls with family members are allowed. It is for them to take one last look of their loved ones before they pass away.

In the ER meanwhile, they let the family members say their last words to patients who are dying through a two-way radio or walkie talkie.

"Sa amin dito sa ER we have a radio, two-way radio so during the prayers, that's what we did. Parang while we're praying inside, we had the family called the walkie talkies para maririnig nila, habang nagpe-prayer kami," Abelanes narrated.

"And before mag-expire yung patient  or kung kunwari kakamatay lang ng patient, ilalapit namin 'yung walkie talkie to the patient's ear para makasabi yung family ng last words nila to their loved ones," she continued.

It's strange, it's new and according to Abelanes, it's staggering. Because she's been working in the ER for quite some time now, she's used to seeing a lot of deaths before COVID-19 but it's nothing compared to what she's seeing these days. "Every single day na lang, almost every single day, someone will die."

According to the Department of Health as of May 3, the number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines rose to 9,223 with 607 deaths and a total of 1,214 recoveries, marking the highest single-day increase in recoveries since April 16. — Jannielyn Ann Bigtas/LA, GMA News