CLOSE TO two months in addressing effects of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the region, the Department of Health (DOH) Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) recorded 42 positive cases based on its May 11, 2020 medical health update.
DOH-CAR director Doctor Amelita Pangilinan explained based on the latest record of Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) which services Ilocos Region, Cagayan Vallery, and Cordillera, a total 3,183 tests were done with 42 testing positive, and 2,497 testing negative.
“A total of 43 cases are admitted at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center Covid-19 referral hospital where 11 of these are confirmed cases while the rest are suspects, four suspect cases are currently admitted at Lindy while six cases are admitted at the Teachers Camp community isolation unit,” Pangilinan said.
Meanwhile, the Regional Health Department is set to improve the health management capabilities of its health workers in the region as a result from learnings garnered from experiences brought about by the dreaded virus.
“Our mandate is to capacitate and increase the capabilities of our local health workers and facilities in terms of surveillance like our influenza like illnesses and Severe Acute Respiratory Infections events based surveillance which is why we are going to enhance the training and equip our local health workers and facilities like our level 1 and level 2 hospital infirmaries,” Pangilinan said.
Under the local investment planning on health, DOH-Cordillera is set to train health workers on the conduct of swabbing, triaging, case management aside from infection prevention control measure particularly on infectious diseases.
“Learning from the Covid-19, if this or any other pandemic may happen again in the future, health workers are now able to provide the health services for their constituents without bringing mild cases to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center, aside from the continuing Information-Education advocacy campaign on infection prevention and control measures, social distancing and others,” Regional Director stated.
The Regional Health Department explained the health department’s involvement on pandemic crisis have been put in place in the Cordillera Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council as the lead agency to manage matters pertaining to infectious diseases.
“We already have an existing emerging-reemerging infectious disease team under the medical cluster of the Cordillera Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council which is why we are the lead agency in this pandemic crisis,” Pangilinan added.