DUE to the high occupancy rate of Covid-19 beds at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), some severe and critical Covid-19 patients could be forced to stay at home, a health official said.
“For the past three days, halos puno-puno ang occupancy rate sa SPMC bahin aning COVID-19 patients nato. So, kung mapuno na syag husto magsigeg kapuno, daghang mga pasyente ang mapundo sa balay. (For the past three days, there was an overwhelming occupancy rate at SPMC for Covid-19 patients. If it will continue to increase, more patients will be forced to remain at home),” Davao City Health Office (CHO) Acting Head Dr. Ashley Lopez said in an interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
Based on the SPMC daily statistics, both SPMC 35 intensive care unit (ICU) beds and 347 ward beds had recorded a high occupancy rate.
Since January, the ICU beds have been in high occupancy, while the ward beds high occupancy rate started around February.
This had resulted in some patients, particularly those severe and critical patients, to be temporarily cared for at their residences, he said.
He added that these patients cannot be brought to the temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMF) as they need critical care treatment, which only SPMC can accommodate.
“So, kung daghan ta’g mga pasenyente nga mapundo sa balay dako ang tyansa nga ma-continue gihapon ning ilang pagtakod sa ilang infection sa uban. (If we have more patients staying at home, other people will be infected). That is why we’re trying to figure out measures or solutions on how to expand our Covid beds sa SPMC and encourage more allocations from our private hospitals,” Lopez said.
Lopez said they are working on measures on how to add more Covid-19 beds in SPMC and encourage private hospitals to allocate additional beds for Covid-19 patients.
SPMC officer-in-charge Dr. Ricardo Audan said in a previous SunStar Davao interview that the hospital management is struggling to expand its bed capacity due to limited healthcare workers.
Both Lopez and Audan also admitted that private hospitals, in general, are struggling to cater to critical Covid-19 patients.
“Isa ni sa ato problema tungod hangtod karon, dili pa gihapon capable atong private hospitals (This is our problem because until now, our private hospitals are still not able) to cater to severe critical cases or patients intended for intensive care sa ICU care sa ato private hospitals,” he said.
Despite having the One Hospital Command Center system established in the city, which was established when it shifted back to general community quarantine (GCQ), the issue on the limited number of SPMC’s intensive care unit (ICU) beds designated for Covid-19 patients has yet to be addressed.
One of the functions of the One Hospital system is requiring private hospitals in the city to admit Covid-19 patients in a bid to decongest SPMC.
A total of 17 identified private hospitals in the city are currently ordered to allocate 20 percent of their total bed capacity for Covid-19 patients.
Lopez said some hospitals are still trying to meet the requirement, saying these are intended for mild to moderate cases. Asymptomatic patients are brought to TTMFs.
As a result of the problem, the health official said SPMC still caters to a majority of Covid-19 patients.
Meanwhile, Lopez said the national government will be deploying some 100 nurses from Manila that will be augmented to the medical workforce of SPMC and private hospitals in Davao City to help the city’s healthcare system in responding to the overwhelming number of Covid-19 cases.
Lopez said in a radio interview on Wednesday, February 10, the national government through the Department of Health (DOH) will be providing the additional manpower to the city.
“Ang DOH, Department of Health is expressing their support by providing I think 100 more nurses coming from Manila from the national government to augment sa SPMC and private hospitals kay para matabangan pud tong mga gagmayng hospital, aron madungagan ilang human resources sama sa mga nurses kay mao nay hinungdan nga dili sila ka-allocate og higdaanan para sa atong Covid-19 patients kay kulang silag nurses,” Lopez said.
(The Department of Health is expressing its support by providing, I think, 100 more nurses from Manila to augment SPMC and private hospitals and also to help small hospitals by adding their human resources, especially nurses. The reason they could not allocate beds for Covid-19 patients is they lacked nurses)
Aside from the medical workforce, the national health department has also vowed to lend 10 ventilators for SPMC, along with the regular allocation of personal protective equipment (PPEs).
“Magpahulam daw ang DOH og mga napulo ka ventilators for SPMC kay para madungagan ang atong ICU capacity for SPMC and regular allocation sa atong protective equipment or PPEs,” Lopez added.
(The DOH will lend us 10 ventilators to add the ICU capacity of SMPC and also regular allocation of personal protective equipment or PPEs.)
