74% beds used by Covid-19 patients in Benguet hospital

By Liza Agoot 

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The provincial government used over 70 percent of the bed capacity of the province-run Benguet General Hospital (BeGH) for Covid-19- related illness.
    Dr. Meliarazon Dulay, BeGH chief and the province' Covid-19 point person, on Monday said 111 out of the 150 bed capacity of the hospital are used either for Covid-19 positive patients or Covid-19 suspected patients.
    Aside from what used to be Covid-isolation area which was 30 percent of the total bed capacity allotted in 2020, she said they have increased it by converting private rooms.

    The doctor said they also converted wards as Intensive Care Unit (ICU) wards for severe or critical Covid patients.
    “We cannot refuse any patient that is why we constantly adjusted," she said, adding that there are those in the Covid area who are asymptomatic or mild because they were found positive after testing as a requirement for a procedure or other medical needs.

    "We cannot send them to the TTMF (Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility) even if they are asymptomatic because they have other needs not provided there so they have to be in the hospital," Dulay said.

    She added that aside from allocating more beds for Covid patients, the hospital has also invested in more oxygen tanks and has added ventilators.

    BeGH uses an average of 160 oxygen tanks per day for the patients. It also buys “Remdesivir” medicine regularly for Covid patients.

    The hospital is also investing in manpower for assured service -- from 300 permanent personnel of BeGH, an additional 50 casual staff were hired to help.

    She added that the Department of Health (DOH) in the Cordillera also gave 105 augmentation personnel aside from the provincial government’s 75 medical staff paid from the funds of the governor's office, bringing to 530 the total personnel of the BeGH who provide services for Covid-19 patients and those requiring non-Covid medical care.

    She said that assuring quality medical service is a challenge considering the condition of the manpower, but they continue to perform their sworn duty to provide the medical needs of the people even amid the risk they face.

    Governor Melchor Diclas in an earlier interview has said that being a province-run medical facility, the local government gives an annual subsidy of PHP40 million.

    "This year, we have already allocated PHP100 million to cover for the operation of the hospital," he said.

    The governor said they continue to invest and prepare facilities to assure residents that they will not sacrifice health because of lack of resources.

    “We will sacrifice infrastructure service if we have to so that we can serve our people and give them the medical care they need,” he said.

    Diclas, a medical surgeon by profession, said that with the threat of the Delta variant, the protection of people is anchored on the continued observance of the health and safety protocols and vaccination.

    “Be vaccinated, it is an added protection from any Covid-19 variant,” the governor said.

    As of July 18, the Department of Health-Cordillera reported that Benguet is at moderate risk category in terms of health care utilization with 64.12 percent bed occupancy. -- PNA