There is no reason for patients from Negros Occidental to be admitted to Bacolod hospitals unless the COVID infection is severe, Provincial Administrator, Atty. Rayfrando Diaz, said.
He added that severe COVID cases are always referred by local government units of Negros Occidental to the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital and private hospitals in Bacolod City since they are the ones authorized or licensed to intubate patients with severe coronavirus infection.
Diaz was reacting to the statement of Emergency Operations Center executive director Em Ang that what contributes to the high hospital utilization rate in Bacolod are the cases from the province being brought to private hospitals in the city.
“I don’t know their statistical data as bases for that since, based on the October 31 census of hospitals, most of the provincial-run hospitals have available beds for COVID patients,” he added.
Diaz said only 58 percent of beds allotted for COVID patients are occupied at the Valladolid District Hospital, 90 percent at the Cadiz District Hospital, and 47 percent at the Valeriano Gatuslao District Hospital.
On the other hand, he added that the Emergency 911 Response Team of the province has been receiving a lot of distress calls during the weekend from Bacolod City residents.
“I personally know people from Bacolod who got sick and asked for ambulance assistance,” Diaz said, adding that a family from the City even asked for help to undergo swab testing since the City has not responded to them.
Diaz said they have responded to at least three emergency cases from Bacolod City last weekend and referred them to the CLMMRH, where the patients were intubated and the province shouldered their medicines.
Meanwhile, the Provincial Incident Management Team noted a decrease of more than 1,000 active COVID cases in the last nine days.
It added that from 3,644 active cases as of Oct. 24, these decreased to 2,526, as of Nov. 1.
But Diaz said everybody should not be complacent since cases can also surge again. “We have to live with the virus and should be cautious not to get infected, and hopefully someday, we can regain the normal life,” he said. – MML
