The Benguet Provincial Government and the Philippine Red Cross installed on Tuesday three temporary tents at Benguet General Hospital (BeGH) to accomodate the increasing dengue patients in the province.
The additional area for beds was deployed in response to the increasing number of dengue cases particularly in the capital town of La Trinidad, which was declared under yellow alert since July 9.
In an earlier interview with Sun.Star Baguio, Governor Crescencio Pacalso said he will personally request the Provincial Health Office to find suitable ways of helping BeGH after the hospital was reported to already be full with admitted dengue patients last month.
“The hospital may extend beds in the covered court if the cases continue, we will meet with our provincial health officer to act on this the soonest possible time,” Pacalso said.
The fully-functioning health center, aided by the Canadian Red Cross, has an Emergency Room-Out-Patient Department (ER-OPD) fast lane which will act as an immediate care center for patients being observed for possible admission or discharge.
According to PRC-Benguet Chapter administrator Oscar Paris, the BHCU is managed by both PRC volunteers and BeGH personnel and designed for basic health facility in the field.
Paris said the ER-OPD fast lane can accommodate 10-12 bed while the Rub Hall, which serves a ward, has a capacity of 30 and can be expanded up to 60 bed capacities if needed.
Water and sanitation facility, portalets, hand washing, and shower areas, were also mounted adjacent to the tents.
“The BHCU does not function as a hospital but has a 10 to 30 bed capacity for observation and basic curative management of patients,” Said Paris adding the temporary health center may stay in operation for at least two months.
Meanwhile BeGH head Dr. Maria Imelda Ulep, said while the facilities were set up through the Governor’s Office and with the PRC, patients are still subjected to comply with the existing fees the hospital require from them.
“These tents are set up as extension of the hospital so patients admitted will still be paying the same dues,” Ulep explained adding PhilHealth members who are admitted will still be able to apply for their hospital benefits.
According to Ulep, BeGH has a maximum capacity of 150 patients, 38 of which are being apportioned for Dengue-related illness. The hospital cater to residents of Benguet and even nearby Mt. Province.
Data provided by BeGH, from January to July 31 this year, a recorded total of 1,526 out-patient dengue cases and 1426 emergency room walk-in was logged compared to the 135 and 155 noted in the same period in 2015.
A total of 580 were already admitted in the first seven months, almost six-folds higher to only 99 in the previous year.
Meanwhile, La Trinidad remains on high alert of the mosquito-borne disease following three related deaths, which include a 9-year-old boy.
Apart from a stiff implementation of the clean-up routine every 4 p.m. which encourage the removal of discarded tires, plastic containers, tin cans, bottles and other containers that can accumulate water, the municipality has also started to conduct fogging and misting operations.