'Virus cases overwhelm Cebu City hospitals'
CEBU CITY: A company nurse of a telecommunications company is alarmed by the extent of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in both private and public hospitals here because she had difficulty GettinG an employee admitted despite shoWinG severe symptoms of the disease.
On Friday, Emma (not her real name), told TheManilaTimes that one of their employees, a 60-year-old lineman who had been experiencing cough, cold and fever since last week, had difficulty breathing at about 10 a.m. on Friday.
It is Emma’s job to make sure that the employee is well taken care of and confined in a hospital and intubated. It took Emma 14 hours before a Cebu hospital could accommodate the very sick patient.
Emma said the lineman, a resident of Barangay Banilad, was boarded into an ambulance and was first taken to Chong Hua Hospital in Barangay Capitol Site in Cebu City but when he reached the hospital, he was not accommodated because the hospital was full.
He was taken to Chong Hua Hospital’s Mandaue City branch but was refused once more.
“Afternoon came and the lineman skipped lunch,” said Emma in Visayan.
“He waited until 2 p.m. but was still not admitted.”
Emma said their company doctor called the Cebu Doctors Hospital in Barangay Capitol Site in Cebu City, but when they got there, they were also turned down.
“We got concerned because he (lineman) could not disembark from the ambulance [as he was having difficulty breathing],” she added.
The ambulance took the patient to the North General Hospital in Barangay Talamban, but evening came and he was still not accommodated by the hospital.
Emma said she spoke with the supervisor of the nursing department of the North General Hospital over the phone, but they refused to accommodate the patient because they lacked the staff to attend to his needs.
Emma said the lineman waited inside the ambulance while she looked for other hospitals that could accommodate him.
“I called Mactan Doctors Hospital and ARC Hospitals ( in Lapu- Lapu City), Cebu Velez General Hospital (in Barangay Ramos), Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC), St. Vincent Hospital (in Barangay Sambag 1), Perpetual Succour Hospital (in Gorordo), but all were full.
"They all refused the patient, even in Sotto (Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center or VSCMMC),” added Emma.
Emma said government hospitals in Cebu City like CCMC and VSCMMC cannot facilitate emergency and monitoring because they are full.
Emma said she called all the hospitals in Cebu City, including Southwestern University Medical Center (in Sambag 1) and Miller Hospital (Barangay San Nicolas), but the phones just kept on ringing.
“I even called Mendero Medical Center (in Consolacion town, north Cebu), but it will not accommodate,” added Emma.
Emma said she called all the hospitals in Cebu, even the ones in Mandaue City, but no hospital would accommodate the patient.
“I even begged that the lineman be admitted to the emergency room but they will not accommodate,” she pointed out.
Emma said the oxygen supply inside the ambulance ran out and their company doctor advised them to go back to Chong Hua Hospital in Cebu City.
“Our company doctor used his personal connection in Chong Hua so that he can be confined,” said Emma.
The lineman was confined in Chong Hua Hospital in Cebu City at midnight on Saturday.
Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella told The ManilaTimes that this might not be the case because the private hospitals have adjusted to accommodate Covid-19 patients.
Labella pointed out that Cebu Doctors Hospital augmented 54 beds dedicated to Covid-19 patients and Chong Hua Hospital committed to augment up to 200 beds dedicated to Covid-19 patients.
Labella said Cebu City had 52 village isolation centers (BIC) that could accommodate positive asymptomatic Covid-19 patients.
Labella said 1,000 patients were confined in the BIC but the number was decreasing because many asymptomatic Covid-19 patients have recovered.
“They (asymptomatic Covid-19 patients) are isolated, fed and supported by the city government,” said Labella.
TheManilaTimes sent a text message to the regional director of the Department of Heath in Central Visayas but the latter did not issue a statement as of press time.