The recently turned over isolation facility in Tublay, Benguet will undergo repair to cater to the needs of Covid-19 patients.
Mayor Armando Lauro, during the recent meeting of the provincial Inter Agency Task Force, said the P8.2 million worth facility with equipment is not being used as an isolation center since the toilet is not attached to the main building.
“In our inspection with Rural Health Unit personnel and officials of Tublay, the common toilet is separated from the rooms and located outside (the building),” Lauro said.
He said the toilets should have been inside the main building to prevent exposure of the patients and health workers.
Funded by the Department of Public Works and Highways under the Bayanihan 2, the 20-bed isolation facility is located at Sitio Owed, Ambongdolan, which is more or less 30-minute drive from the municipal hall and municipal health clinic.
The building was turned over by the DPWH to the municipal government last March.
Lauro said coordination with the DPWH is underway for the urgent repair of the facility.
He said Tublay officials were advised to use the retention fee for the repair but there is no built-in toilet stated in the program of work.
The program of work, which was an old design, was followed by the contractor who built the isolation facility.
“Since that is the case, Tublay would be working out additional funding perhaps from the supplemental budget for its repair so we could also link the two buildings in the area,” he said.
Tublay has sought the assistance of the Provincial Health Office and the Benguet General Hospital to conduct benchmarking on its current isolation facilities.
The multipurpose halls and child development centers located in the different barangays, including the evacuation center at Baayan, are being prepared as isolation facilities.
Tublay has logged a total of 174 Covid-19 cases with 164 recoveries, six active cases and four deaths due to comorbidities as of last week. – Ofelia C. Empian
