The center care facility for positive Covid-19 patients in the Cordillera can only accommodate a maximum of 15 patients at a time.
Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center Chief, Dr. Ricardo Ruñez, Jr., underscored this last week during the meeting of chiefs of hospitals and medical experts on the government’s efforts to contain the spread of the Covid-19 and in wake of the refusal of some provincial hospitals to admit possible Covid-19 patients.
Ruñez said BGHMC can dedicate 30 to 40 beds to accommodate possible Covid-19 patients but the hospital is only capacitated to treat a maximum of 15 Covid-19 patients complete with ventilators and monitors.
“Beyond that magkakaproblema tayo,” Ruñez said in response to the hypothetical scenario that Covid-19 patients from other Cordillera provinces, regions 1 and 2 might be referred to BGHMC.
One of the most difficult alternatives should there be an increase of Covid-19 patients is to remove the ventilators assigned to other critically ill patients such as those who suffered stroke, according to Ruñez.
Reports said that part of the P2.5 million donated by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office to BGHMC last week will be used for the procurement of additional ventilators.
Saint Louis University Hospital of the Sacred Heart Medical Director Paul Quitiquit has suggested to Mayor Benjamin Magalong the possibility of helping capacitate other level 3 hospitals so that not all Covid-19 patients from other provinces will be referred to BGHMC.
One medical expert agreed with Quitiquit’s suggestion, saying that there is a need to protect medical frontline workers in Baguio from too much exposure to Covid-19 patients.
“We can say that we (in Baguio) are better off in handling the situation but what about if they (frontliners) will be overwhelmed?” said the medical expert.
In Abra, reports have it that persons showing mild symptoms of Covid-19 are not being admitted at the provincial hospital and medical frontline workers suffer from stigma even in their hometowns.
The BGHMC is one of five tertiary hospitals in the country that have been designated as a sub-national testing center for Covid-19.
Ruñez said they are screening an average of 80 to 100 samples per day since the BGHMC was certified by the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine as a Covid-19 testing center. – Harley F. Palangchao
