Doctors dispatched to Cebu City to help fight epidemic
Published Jun 28, 2020 12:00 am
By Analou De Vera
The Department of Health (DOH) has ordered the deployment of several "Doctors to the Barrios" (DTTBs) to Cebu City to help in its fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III has issued the order following reports that the "Cebu City health care system is overwhelmed with patient load at the moment," said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire on Sunday.
Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire
(PCOO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) Vergeire said that the doctors will not be permanently deployed in Cebu City but will only provide temporary relief. In a separate message, she said that 40 DTTBs are to be deployed in the area. "The very nature of the DTTB program is to post doctors, usually in most remote areas where access to healthcare is a challenge, and where quality health care service is most needed. COVID-19 cases has reached a critical point in Cebu City and the Department is grateful to those who have risen to this patriotic call," she said. Vergeire assured that the healthcare services in the areas ---where the DTTBs were previously assigned--- will not be hampered. "The assigned doctors are rural health physicians (RHP) and not municipal health officers (MHO). Meaning the municipality they serve already has a municipal-hired doctor ensuring that the municipalities they serve will not be left doctor-less during their assignment. Health care services will continue," she said. Last Friday, the Health official reported that the capacity of healthcare facilities in Cebu City is already “approaching” the critical level. As of June 24, Vergeire then noted that 55 percent of the total intensive care unit beds in the city are occupied while 84 percent of the isolation beds are being utilized. Also, 64.9 percent of the ward beds are occupied. The critical level is at 70 percent, she said. Vergeire also then noted that 61 of the city's 80 barangays have new cases in the past two weeks; while of the 80 barangays, 49 are seeing “clustering” of cases. Based on the DOH COVID-19 tracker, the cumulative total cases in Cebu City is at 4,490 as of June 27. The city was placed under the enhanced community quarantine until June 30.
Health Assistant Secretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire(PCOO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) Vergeire said that the doctors will not be permanently deployed in Cebu City but will only provide temporary relief. In a separate message, she said that 40 DTTBs are to be deployed in the area. "The very nature of the DTTB program is to post doctors, usually in most remote areas where access to healthcare is a challenge, and where quality health care service is most needed. COVID-19 cases has reached a critical point in Cebu City and the Department is grateful to those who have risen to this patriotic call," she said. Vergeire assured that the healthcare services in the areas ---where the DTTBs were previously assigned--- will not be hampered. "The assigned doctors are rural health physicians (RHP) and not municipal health officers (MHO). Meaning the municipality they serve already has a municipal-hired doctor ensuring that the municipalities they serve will not be left doctor-less during their assignment. Health care services will continue," she said. Last Friday, the Health official reported that the capacity of healthcare facilities in Cebu City is already “approaching” the critical level. As of June 24, Vergeire then noted that 55 percent of the total intensive care unit beds in the city are occupied while 84 percent of the isolation beds are being utilized. Also, 64.9 percent of the ward beds are occupied. The critical level is at 70 percent, she said. Vergeire also then noted that 61 of the city's 80 barangays have new cases in the past two weeks; while of the 80 barangays, 49 are seeing “clustering” of cases. Based on the DOH COVID-19 tracker, the cumulative total cases in Cebu City is at 4,490 as of June 27. The city was placed under the enhanced community quarantine until June 30.