THE Department of Health (DOH)-Davao Region bared that all government hospitals are going to increase their Covid-19 dedicated beds by 30 to 50 percent after the region's critical bed care utilization rates reached the "warning zone" level.
DOH-Davao Director Annabelle Yumang said on Wednesday, August 26, that this is in accordance to the issued memorandum of DOH Undersecretary and Covid-19 treatment czar Dr. Leopoldo Vega.
Yumang said the required increase in bed capacity allocation for government hospitals is in preparation for a possible surge in patients.
DOH-Davao revealed that as of August 19, all of its critical bed care utilization rates had reached the "warning" level.
Covid-19 ward bed occupancy in the region was already 60.49 percent, while Covid-19 isolation beds are at 39.47 percent, intensive care unit beds at 41.86 percent, severe cases at 43.54 percent, and severe to critical at 43.38 percent.
DOH-Davao Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit Officer Cleofe Tabada, in a previous presser, said the level is considered under the “warning zone" when the occupancy rate is between 31 to 70 percent, and in "safe zone" when it is from 1 to 30 percent.
She said Davao is at the risk of reaching the “danger zone” level, which is 71 to 100 percent.
Yumang said once the occupancy rate reaches the "warning" level, hospitals should already take action in scouting for more beds and not wait for it to reach the "danger" level.
"The hospital needs to do something during the time the [volume of] patient surges," she said during the One Davao on Covid-19 virtual presser.
Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) in Davao City and Davao Regional Medical Center in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, the only Covid-19 referral government hospitals in the region, are now scouting for more beds to meet this requirement, the DOH official said.
"They are starting to increase their bed capacity per week in preparation for the surge of patients," Yumang said.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio previously said the City Government has already prepared three private hospitals, which will serve as a reserved hospital in case SPMC could no longer cater to Covid-19 patients.
Yumang, during the presser, revealed that the Davao Medical School Foundation (DMSF), Davao Doctors Hospital (DDH), and the Metro Davao Medical and Research Center (MDMRC) are the city's reserved hospital.
"These hospitals will only cater during the surge capacity," she said.
Currently, only DDH-Dumoy Satellite Facility in Dumoy is operating as a Covid-19 treatment facility since July. However, the hospital currently caters to non-critical Covid-19 patients.
Meanwhile, SPMC Officer-in-Charge Dr. Ricardo Audan said they are currently scouting for more beds, although Covid-19 cases being admitted to SPMC are still manageable.
DOH and SPMC previously said they already anticipated the surge of Covid-19 cases following the region's shift to modified general community quarantine (MGCQ).
As of August 25, Davao Region has a total of 1,935 cases, wherein 410 are still active, 1,461 already recovered and 64 died.
Davao City remains to be the Covid-19 hotspot in the region with 1,236 total cases, wherein 205 are still recovering, 979 already recovered, and 52 died.