By Glazyl Masculino
BACOLOD CITY - The city government of Bacolod has constructed a respiratory out-patient center located at the Bacolod Arts, Youth, and Sports (BAYS) Center here to accommodate medical consultation of patients who are manifesting symptoms of respiratory conditions amid the global health emergency concern brought by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Mayor Evelio Leonardia inspects the newly-constructed respiratory out-patient center located at the Bacolod Arts, Youth, and Sports (BAYS) Center, to cater medical consultations of patients with mild respiratory cases in the light of COVID-19. (Photo courtesy of Bacolod City PIO/ MANILA BULLETIN)
Mayor Evelio Leonardia inspected the facility on Tuesday, before its full operation starting April 13, or right after the Holy Week.
The respiratory center at the BAYS center, which is located in front of the public plaza, has a triage area, 10 consultation rooms, a laboratory collection room, and mobile x-ray.
Leonardia said that the facility will have volunteer doctors from the Canlaon Medical Society and Negros Occidental Medical Society.
The center will allow patients with respiratory conditions such as cough, nasal congestion, asthma or flu, to consult with volunteer doctors, nurses and other health care professionals at scheduled hours. If the patient needs to be admitted, doctors of the center will facilitate their referral for admission.
Leonardia said that the idea of putting up the said facility was to "remarkably decongest the Out Patient Department (OPD) of hospitals here."
The city government had earlier revealed to the media that patients with colds or flu were now going for medical consultation at OPDs due to fear of possible COVID-19 infection.
The facility is not a quarantine center for persons under monitoring (PUMs) or persons under investigation (PUIs), but is merely a consulting center for mild respiratory cases during this COVID-19 pandemic, the mayor stressed.