DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio said patients under investigation (PUIs) for suspected coronavirus disease (Covid-19) with mild symptoms will be placed in identified centers while awaiting their results to decongest the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC).
In a radio interview Thursday, March 26, at 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio, Duterte-Carpio said during a brief meeting on the same day, she assured the management of SPMC that the city has prepared several facilities, equipped with the necessary medical supplies and medical personnel, to cater to the PUIs.
“Mao ni ang pinakakinahanglan gyud nato karon, atong mga patient under investigation nga mga centers nga giandam sa city government to support Southern Philippines Medical Center (These PUI centers that we prepared is what we need to support SPMC),” Duterte-Carpio said.
The City Government Davao sought the help of hotel owners in the city to accommodate the PUIs with only mild symptoms. Some of the establishments prepared by the government are La Vida Inn in Maa, Alternative Learning Center (ALS) building near People’s Park, Boy Scout Camp in Malagos, and the Davao City Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Drug Dependents still in Malagos.
Also, Emcor company is constructing a facility made out of container van. The Queensland hotel has also opened its facility.
Duterte-Carpio cited that there are PUIs who insisted on being admitted in the hospital but she said that it only poses danger to them because Covid-19 positive cases are also admitted at SPMC. Since they are not confirmed yet, they are advised to go to PUI centers instead.
But she added that it is the call of the doctors if they will be admitted to the hospital or will be temporarily housed in PUI centers.
In a separate interview, SPMC chief of clinics and Health Emergency Management Bureau (HEMB) coordinator Dr. Ricardo Audan told SunStar Davao that they already recorded a total of 52 PUIs as of yesterday with four confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Davao City. Apparently, it has exceeded the capacity of their facility.
They thanked the city government for its help. SPMC has been identified as a Covid-19 facility by the Department of Health and a subnational laboratory.
Audan bared that they already referred 13 PUIs currently confined at the rehabilitation center in Malagos. On Wednesday, SPMC chief Dr. Leopoldo Vega and Dr. Lin Concha together with two infectious disease nurses visited the center. (JCR)