The COVID-19 pandemic causes disproportionate socioeconomic impacts among the

poor, minorities, and an extensive range of vulnerable populations due to limited mitigation

capacity in lieu of the high prevalence of chronic conditions, co-morbidities, and poor access to

high-quality public health and medical care. The healthcare system of the third-world country

has failed to address the challenges in providing medical care for the rising number of infected

patients. Poor health access due to lack of funds, hospital admission swab testing requirements,

hospital unavailability due to overcrowdedness, lack of medical facilities, and remote hospital

institutions which lead to delayed healthcare delivery system, unable to contain infectious

transmission spread, and high mortality rates among these susceptible groups.

Enduring the under-financed and understaffed health facilities, vulnerable groups suffer

the consequences on overall health owing to limited movements and communication due to the

geographical characteristic. The barangay is the primary political unit that has always been at the

forefront of local national government undertakings in response to development challenges

because of their strategic situation at the grassroots level, especially in the effective and efficient

service delivery to the community. With Expanded Life Saver Support Act enforcement, it

provides the following: 1. Family and community health monitoring system, 2. Provision of

more first aid station centers and automobiles 3. Engagement and empowering communities, 4.

Community mitigation measures. Coordinating with the family and community for other

sustainable solutions through proper planning, financing, and monitoring activities

collaboratively. Barangay first aid centers are important facility sites, equipped with advanced

basic life support medical equipment such as cardiac defibrillators, oxygen tanks, emergency

drugs, and intravenous lines to accommodate emergent healthcare needs as an early treatment

before regular medical services arrive or intervene. Barangay health workers in collaboration
with agencies implemented necessary efficient clinical management round-the-clock duties. In

this manner, an upsurge number of outpatients who have shown difficulties in breathing,

symptomatic and asymptomatic Covid-like signs, life-threatening illnesses, and other urgent

health conditions will be attended immediately. Engagement and empower communities through

efficient health promotion and primary prevention awareness, first aid management, and

alternative medicine. Emergency critical information awareness counters rumors and

misconceptions and builds trust in leadership. Customize communication for the audience, and

leverage social media that ensure accessible communication.

The pillars of the Expanded Life Saver Support Act are to address life-saving early

treatment of those patients in remote areas who are unable to access medical healthcare promptly

and to reduce recovery time, which makes the difference between temporary or long-term

disability and mortality. Community mitigation measures are taken into account to prevent the

further spread of infectious diseases and protect all families and health workers. Building

sustainable health system resilience extends to ensuring that investing in long-term health system

strengthening efforts, including essential public health functions, is done via multisectional,

whole-of-society approaches at the national and sub-national levels. Communities must be

involved in co-designing solutions and behavioral and social science as well as community

feedback should guide the adaptation of those solutions over time, infection prevention and

control, and protection of the health workforce.