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Thursday, February 03, 2005
VSMMC officials agree to take severe cases
The management of Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) instituted yesterday system changes to cope with the increase in admissions due to the resignation of surgeons at Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC).
VSMMC Chief Filomena delos Santos said they are hoping the problems at the CCMC will be settled soon and they could resume accepting patients for surgery.
As the regional hospital prepared, the four CCMC resident surgeons who handed in their resignation letters last Monday changed their minds.
In a meeting yesterday, delos Santos said they agreed with a CCMC representative that the City-run hospital will continue accepting patients with minor injuries, like animal bites, or those who will only need suturing.
Only severe cases, like trauma victims and pregnant women who will deliver by Caesarean section, will be referred to VSMMC.
Measures
To prepare for the increase in the volume of emergency room admissions, which already average 80 a day, delos Santos said they will use the hospital’s watcher’s area as holding area for patients.
She also asked for the recall of the hospital personnel, who are either on privilege, forced and maternity leave at present.
When CCMC’s four surgeons resigned last week, patients who walked in at VSMMC’s emergency room (ER) increased by an average of 20, in addition to about 200 that they attend to daily.
Since the hospital only has eight surgeons, doctors in the family medicine department were asked to assist the surgical department.
Because of the problem, doctors will also have to forego their participation in conferences, training and seminars while the admissions are continually increasing.
Delos Santos believes the streamlining of processes and the system changes will only be short term since she has learned from CCMC Chief Felicitas Manaloto that the problem would be solved soon.
Earlier, she expressed concern that the continuing increase in the volume of patients would affect their services in the long run.
VSMMC’s ER could only accommodate about 40 patients at one time. (CYR)
(February 3, 2005 issue)
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