Some hospital workers in Abra, Cordilleras region are gripped with so much fear in contracting Covid-19, which probably give them a reason not to serve their own town mates afflicted with the viral disease.
Abra has two confirmed cases, both of whom had to be referred to the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) for treatment and confinement.
One of them, a returning seafarer, has tested negative and was discharged on Tuesday, March 31, and was brought home to Abra where a place for his continuing self-isolation has been prepared. His cousin, the second Abra case, from Sallapaden, is still in the Baguio hospital.
Dr. Alex Bayubay, Development Management Officer of the provincial health office, said that the Abra Provincial Hospital explained that their workers refuse to come to work in the presence of Covid-19 patients for fear of getting infected themselves.
“The provincial hospital is not admitting Covid-19 cases because their helpers, those on job orders, don’t like to come to work for fear of getting infected and stigmatized in their place,” Bayubay said.
The issue was raised during the online media briefing on Tuesday of the Department of Health-Cordillera on Covid-19.
Dr. Ricardo Runez, head of the BGHMC, appealed to health workers to be ready to accept Covid-19 patients as it is part of their mandate.
“We can’t just deny [these patients] and refer them to BGHMC. Time will come when we will also exhaust our resources here,” he said. He appealed to provincial health offices and hospitals to be ready, too.
Cases are expected to rise as BGHMC has just been certified by the RITM to perform independent testing by real-time polymerase chain reaction. From an average testing rate of about 40 a day, Runez said they can now increase that to about a hundred tests a day as 5,000 kits have just arrived from the RITM.
BGHMC has 40 beds dedicated to Covid-19 patients and the old Sto. Nino Hospital that was not operational for 18 years is presently being prepared for reopening to exclusively accommodate Covid-19 patients. It will be renamed Baguio City Critical Care Center.
Department of Health –Cordillera officer in charge Regional Director Dr. Amelita Pangilinan said that the Abra situation has worried her, especially with the second case.
“I can understand the first case as they were not prepared,” she said. But since they were already given PPEs, the refusal to admit the second case worried her.
Bayubay said the Laoag Provincial Hospital also refused these patients as they were already full.
This prompted her to consult with the Abra governor about the problem with the health workers who assured her that they will find a solution. Meanwhile, the hospital at La Paz, another town in Abra is also being considered to admit Covid-19 patients.
The Cordillera region has 16 confirmed cases, 12 of which are in Baguio and two in La Trinidad, Benguet, adding to the two Abra cases.