BACOLOD City – The Department of Health (DOH) will send 20 nurses and 20 vaccinators to augment the workforce of hospitals here amid the rising cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The local government earlier requested the national Inter-Agency Task Force for additional workforce to the address the “serious shortage” of nurses and other healthcare workers in private hospitals.
Bacolod hospitals need six doctors for the Midway Referral Facility, 288 nurses for the city’s emergency treatment center and isolation facilities, 18 radiology technicians, 26 medical technologists, 24 respiratory therapists, and 30 housekeeping staff, according to Mayor Evelio Leonardia in a letter addressed to Secretary Carlito Galvez, chief implementer of the National Action Plan Against COVID-19.
The mayor requested additional personnel to “capacitate and enable the full operation of hospital isolation units”.
The availability of functional hospital isolation rooms remains to be “the biggest challenge” for Bacolod as it continues its contact tracing and targeted testing to identify and isolate COVID-19 cases, Leonardia said.
Dr. Chris Sorongon, deputy for medical data and analysis of Emergency Operations Center (EOC), said the 20 nurses were hired by DOH in Western Visayas.
The augmentation personnel will arrive here anytime this week, Sorongon said.
OXYGEN SUPPLY
On the other hand, EOC assured there’s no shortage in medical oxygen supply in this city.
But despite this, the city was thoroughly monitoring the inventory of oxygen, according to Sorongon.
“Because if there will be an increase in demand (of oxygen) we will have a problem,” he said.
Sorongon disclosed that the city does not only get its supply from Cebu but also in Luzon.
The national government also provided augmentation, Sorongon said.
Meanwhile, private entities here were encouraged to limit their use of medical oxygen.
A maximum of three days were given to the private entity to use the oxygen, according to Sorongon.
“This is to avoid hoarding,” he said.
EOC also mulled regulating the price of medical oxygen.
“Indi naton ini pag-i-take advantage nga mag-charge sang exorbitant fee,” Sorongon said./PN
