PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said he may tap medical personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) to help hospitals as coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) infections rise among the country's health workers.

In his pre-recorded public address aired on Wednesday night, Duterte acknowledged a 'dearth of supply of human resources' in the health sector due to Covid-19 infections.

'So kung wala ng iba, 'yung mga nurses sa pulis, marami 'yan, pati sa medical corps ng Army (If there is no one else, there are the nurses in the police force - there are many of them - and in the medical corps of the Army). I have to use a little of my influence sa kanila (on them) to convince them to ano (to . . .),' Duterte said.

'I do not want to order na ganoon, kasi pangit 'yan eh. Makikiusap lang ako na tulungan ang mga kababayan natin (because that won't look good. I will ask them to help our countrymen). Eh kung wala na akong mahila dito, hila doon, eh kayo na kasi wala na akong ibang maasahan. Sino pa man ang matawagan ko (If I can't pull in anyone, it will have to be you because I have nobody else to rely on)?' he added.

The President appealed to the AFP and PNP medical personnel for help, saying that many health workers are once again getting sick with Covid-19, while hospitals are being 'filled to the brim.'

'I am ordering the medical corps of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, if you are listening to me now, please place your human resources on ready, on deck because talagang, alam mo, 'yan ang madali kong maasahan (I can quickly count on them),' he said.

In the same meeting with the President, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the AFP has sent two nurses to St. Luke's Medical Center after the hospital sought help.

He said that the AFP will continue looking for nurses and medical personnel from its ranks who could be deployed to hospitals in Metro Manila.

'Patuloy pa silang mangangalap sa mga probinsiya, sa mga services, Army, Navy, Air Force kung puwede pa silang magbigay ng mga nurses. At sa tingin ko po, Mr. President, sa mga darating na araw ay magkakaroon pa tayo ng mga nurses na puwede nating ipahiram sa mga hospitals sa Maynila (They will continue to look in the provinces, in the services, Army, Navy, Air Force, if they can provide nurses. And I think Mr. President in the coming days, we will have nurses we can loan to hospitals in Manila),' Lorenzana said.

The country is enduring a record rise in infections, fueled by the Delta variant, with the health department reporting a nursing shortfall of more than 100,000 -- forcing those left to work long hours for little pay on often precarious short-term contracts.

As of Wednesday, the country has logged a total of 2,417,419 Covid-19 cases, with 37,228 deaths and 162,580 active cases.