BALANGA CITY, Bataan – The Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) on Covid-19 announced on Thursday the designation of the Bataan General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) as an exclusive facility for cases of coronavirus disease.
Effective on Friday, the IATF said the government hospital will look after Covid–19 cases only, including suspect and probable cases with moderate to severe symptoms.
Governor Albert Garcia, also the provincial IATF chair, said this was decided after 29 health workers composed of doctors, nurses and nursing attendants assigned at BGHMC have contracted the virus.
He said the latest report from the Provincial Health Office showed that 14 confirmed new Covid–19 cases were all health workers of the government hospital, turning the number of patients tested positive for Covid from 42 on Wednesday to 56 on Thursday.
On Wednesday, 15 health workers from the same hospital also tested positive for the virus.
“Ang nasabing hakbang na napagkasunduan sa pinakahuling pulong ng task force ay naglalayong agarang masugpo ang mabilis na pagkalat ng Covid–19 sa BGHMC at mapangalagaan ang kapakanan ng mga pasyente pati ang kanilang mga pamilya (The said move was agreed upon in the latest meeting of the task force which aims to curb immediately the rapid spread of Covid-19 at the BGHMC and to take care the welfare of the patients, including their families),” Garcia said.
Garcia said that contact-tracing, swabbing and investigation continued to pinpoint those who have direct contact with the health workers who tested positive for the virus.
He said that all employees of the BGHMC who showed symptoms were already confined at said hospital while those without symptoms were quarantined at the Bataan People’s Center here.
The La Vista Resort was also opened as patient care center for health workers negative of the virus and continuously working at BGHMC.
Garcia said BGHMC officials have assured the hospital still enough has manpower with 200 doctors, nurses and other employees, who tested negative for Covid–19, serving the patients.
With BGHMC being excusive for Covid cases, other patients can go to the Centro Medico de Santissimo Rosario, a private hospital or to district hospitals in Dinalupihan, Orani and Bagac towns, the governor said.
The Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office will take care of the poor patients, he said. (PNA)
