ILOILO – As dengue cases here rise, district hospitals operated by the provincial government are running out of beds.
“The Philippine Red Cross evaluated our hospitals and saw that patients were already occupying hallways and utilizing folding beds,” said Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares Quiñon, provincial health officer.
She thus welcomed Red Cross’ donation of 60 folding beds to the provincial government following the evaluation.
Dengue and other patients were bringing their own folding beds as they sought treatment in hospitals, said Quiñon.
As of June 26, 342 dengue patients were confined in 12 district hospitals, data from the Hospital Management Office (HMO) of the provincial government showed.
Most of the dengue patients were admitted at the following:
* Jesus M. Colmenares District Hospital in Balasan town – 92
* Ramon Tabiana Memorial District Hospital in Cabatuan – 77
* Iloilo Provincial Hospital in Pototan – 72
From Jan. 1 to June 19 this year the Provincial Health Office (PHO) recorded 3,202 dengue cases.
Gilbert Paul Valderrama, chapter administrator of Red Cross in Iloilo, said their board of directors promptly responded to the need for beds because “our relationship with the province has been very strong.”
Quiñon said the HMO would be distributing the Red Cross folding beds to the district hospitals.
As to the blood supply in the province, Red Cross again appealed for blood donors.
“We need help especially now that dengue cases are on the rise. We are again banking on the community to help us sufficiently provide to blood requirements of the community,” said Valderrama. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)