ILOILO CITY – With the increase in cases of the other variants, the Iloilo provincial government is increasing the capacity of the public hospital that it manages to cater to COVID-19 patients.
Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. announced that the Iloilo Provincial Hospital in Pototan town will increase its COVID-19 bed capacity to a maximum of 70 percent or a minimum of 50 percent.
Defensor said that aside from equipment and supplies, the local government is looking to hire additional doctors, nurses and other personnel for the increase of the COVID-19 bed capacity.
“This is still part of the development of Level 1 hospitals and also an emergency response in anticipation of possible effects of the other variants,” said Defensor.
Boosting the capacity of the Iloilo Provincial Hospital is meant to decongest the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Iloilo City and Western Visayas Sanitarium in Santa Barbara town, which are both under the management of the Department of Health (DOH Region 6).
It also aims to decongest the West Visayas State University Medical Center (WVSU Medical Center) and other private tertiary hospitals in Iloilo City, which are operating beyond its capacities as it handles patients from other places of Panay and Guimaras Islands.
But Defensor explained that patients with critical condition are still referred to the tertiary hospitals for treatment as the Iloilo Provincial Hospital lacks the necessary facilities.
The Iloilo provincial government is also trying to finalize agreements with management of certain hotels, inns or resorts that can cater as isolation facilities for mild COVID-19 patients in the meantime they are not allowed for leisure businesses.
“We want to equip it like the way we equip our temporary treatment and monitoring facility (TTMF) at the Iloilo Sports Complex so that it can be a step-down facility. We will provide ambulance, personnel, equipment, and medical supply,” Defensor added.