AN OFFICIAL of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) said some of their health workers have opted to resign from their post, as requested by the family members for fear of possible infection from coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
SPMC medical professional staff chief Dr. Ricardo Audan, in a virtual presser on Tuesday afternoon, May 26, said that in their hospital, there are now a total of 28 employees who were infected by the Covid-19.
Due to fear of being infected, some of their hospital staff decided to resign from the service.
Audan cited that the families of the health workers requested for them to leave their job because of the high risk of infection associated with their job.
For the month of March, there are four nurses who quit and two in April.
Some of the health workers reasoned that their spouses do not allow them to go on duty because their child is still a baby while some feared that they could infect their parents who are already old.
At SPMC, they have already tested a total of 1,661 hospital employees as of May 21 and 1,247 of these already have results while the remaining 414, their results are still pending.
Once results were out, 13 doctors have tested positive for novel coronavirus (Sars-CoV-2), the pathogen which causes the Covid-19. Seven nurses and six admin staff also tested positive for the virus. Only four, so far are still admitted while the rest have been discharged and two had succumbed.
To augment the vacant position and increase their manpower, Audan said they have hired new employees.
“We have hired health worker staff to augment our Covid ward staff,” Audan said.
He said that they have 50 Nurse II, medical technologist II (18), respiratory therapist II (5), radiology technologist II (5), nursing attendant II (20), administrative aide IV (5), Administrative assistant II (6), and Laboratory Aide II (1).
But he was saddened as there was no taker for medical specialist II, medical officer III, and medical treatment III.