The Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City and the Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City, Negros Occidental, are limiting the admission of patients due to lack of manpower and the increasing number of COVID cases.
Fifteen doctors, nurses, and other medical staff of the TLJPH are under quarantine after a number of them tested positive for COVID-19, or were exposed to infected patients and watchers.
Chief of hospital, Dr. Mary Anne Mestral, said four doctors and a nurse at the OB Gyne Department were found positive in a regular swab testing conducted on hospital staff every 15 days.
All of them have symptoms and were isolated in the hospital compound, Maestral said.
The 11 staff members in the same department, who are their close contacts, were also found reactive in the Rapid Antigen Tests and were advised to go on isolation for 10 days.
Because of this, the hospital management decided to temporarily scale down the operation of the OB/Gyne Outpatient Department, and to limit admissions to emergency cases only, until further notice, starting Jan. 16.
Mestral added that most of their pregnant patients also turned positive for coronavirus disease 2019.
She said an emergency case of a Cesarean delivery might have been the cause of the transmission since the doctors proceeded with the surgical procedure to save the lives of the mother and her child.
The TLJPH urges the public to refrain from unnecessary exposure by staying home and observing minimum precautions, since COVID cases are again beginning to increase.
Meanwhile, the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City also issued an advisory, informing the public that its Department Pediatrics will be limiting admissions to “extreme emergency cases” only in its nonCOVID-19 areas, effective immediately until further notice.
The allocated beds at the pediatric wards have reached full capacity in the non-COVID area, while the number of COVID probable patients has increased, so the COVID-19 dedicated beds is nearing full capacity.
The CLMMRH management strongly advised local government units and other referring hospitals to call first the COVID-19 hotlines at 0917-100- 7093, or 701-7865 regarding patient transfer.
COVID cases in Negros Occidental rose to 878, as of Jan. 15, compared to its lowest figure of 179 at the start of this year, the Provincial Incident Management Team said.
Meanwhile, vaccination will continue at the TLJPH, and vaccine seekers are urged to follow their scheduled time of inoculation. The hospital does not accept walk-in vaccination clients, it added./MML,GB
