DOH designates COVID-19 hospitals for W. Visayas
By Tara Yap
ILOILO CITY – The Department of Health (DOH) has designated the hospitals that may handle patients with positive and suspected cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Western Visayas region.
Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC), the DOH-run hospital in Iloilo City, has been named as dedicated facility for both confirmed and suspected COVID-19 cases, especially the ones showing severe symptoms or the ones classified as persons under investigations (PUIs). There will be an initial 450 beds.
The West Visayas State University Medical Center (WVSU-MC), which is also a government-run hospital in Iloilo City, was designated to be the spillover hospital for COVID-19. The WVSU-MC is also set to prioritize patients that do not have COVID-19 or suspected to have COVID-19.
The Western Visayas Sanitarium, which is another DOH-run hospital in Santa Barbara town, Iloilo province, has been designated as a facility for other PUIs.
DOH Regional Director for Western Visayas Marlyn Convocar said the management of WVMC is going to free up its beds and transfer other patients to WVSU-MC with the projected upsurge of positive COVID-19 cases.
The DOH also has agreements with private hospitals in Iloilo City, the regional capital, to absorb other patients from WVSU-MC. But it should also be noted that two of the four positive cases of Western Visayas are already admitted a private hospital in the city.
Meanwhile, the task force of the Western Visayas Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (DRRMC) has passed a resolution urging for designation of COVID-19 hospitals in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental provinces.
