ILOILO City – To address the shortage of rooms and beds in district hospitals due to the rising number of dengue cases in this province, all local government units in the are encouraged to utilize their respective Rural Health Units (RHUs) and other medical outpatient clinics as hydration units for dengue patients.
Dr. Maria Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, Provincial Health Officer 1, cited the Regional Order Number 2019-01 of the Department of Health-Center for Health Development in Western Visayas, which provides guidelines in triaging and management of dengue cases.
“Diri sa guideline gina-encourage ang aton RHUs and other medical-outpatient clinics nga magserbe nga hydration unit basta siguruhon lang nga ang pasyente nga ina wala sang warning signs nga ginatawag,” said Quiñon.
Base on the DOH guidelines, the RHUs and other medical out-patient clinics can be utilized as hydration units for patients that don’t exhibit symptoms such as abdominal pain, persistent vomiting, signs of fluid accumulation, mucosal bleeding, lethargy, restlessness, live enlargement, increase in hemotocrit or decreasing platelet count and can tolerate adequate volumes of oral fluids.
The following are the medical procedures that the doctor or nurse should undertake while inside RHUs and other medical outpatient clinics:
* oral hydration of fluid replaces for 6-8 hours
* provisions of anti-pyretic medicines (except aspirin) to control fever
* provision of tepid sponge bath
* provisions of take home instruction after 6-8 hours of hydration if the patient’s condition improves
According to the guidelines, patients showing worsened condition will be referred to the next higher facility.
All chief of provincial and city hospitals, municipal health officers, and other concerned medical professionals were are advised to comply with DOH-CHD’s regional order to properly manage the influx of cases in health facilities and maintain appropriate case management in the various health care delivery levels.
“Happy to say nga ang aton RHU like Banate, Pototan and Cabatuan nagapang-admit na sang patients. Nakita nila nga ang aton hospitals are already overwhelmed, puno na.Sila mismo nagabulig sa pag-decongest sang aton mga district hospitals,” said Quiñon.
The Hospital Management Office records showed there were 1,863 patients admitted in 11 district and one provincial hospitals as of 8 a.m. on July 12; 851 were diagnosed with dengue.
It
added the hospitals only have 615 total bed
capacity.
From Jan. 1 to July 6 this year, 5,435 cases of the mosquito-borne disease have
been recorded in the province, 901 percent higher compared to last year’s 543
during the same period, according to the Provincial Heath Office./PN
