BACOLOD CITY, Philippines – Several hospitals in the province are being readied to accommodate patients having signs and symptoms of the 2019 novel Coronavirus (2019-nCov).
Provincial Disaster Management Program Division Head Zeaphard Gerhart Caelian said the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Memorial Provincial Hospital in Silay City and the district hospitals in Valladolid, Cadiz and Kabankalan are being prepared as quarantine areas for person under investigation (PUI).
As of today, only the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital is equipped with an isolation facility where a patient suspected with nCov is quarantined and treated.
An incident management team will also be formed in the cities of Cadiz, San Carlos, Bago and Kabankalan. These cities are those that have ports where foreign vessels may dock and carry persons infected with nCov.
“We will be asking the LGUs especially those that we have identified because they have ports of entry, if ever they have persons with signs and symptoms, they will be the first to respond to these cases,” Caelian said.
Health practitioners, especially nurses in the selected cities will undergo a training on 13-14 February as part of the preparation of the province in case the PUIs will grow in number.
Caelian said the trainees will be taught the proper knowledge of transporting, treating and handling patients with suspected nCov.
“We also need to have a training on how to isolate our responders because they also have a family. We have to select the bravest souls to handle this,” he added.
The trained health practitioners will then be members of the infectious disease emergency response teams.
One provincial ambulance will be exclusively assigned to respond and transport persons with suspected nCov.
