Baguio officials appeal to prov’l hospitals

BAGUIO mayor Benjamin Magalong and City Health Officer Dr. Rowena Galpo appealed to hospitals in the provinces to manage non-critical patients including Coronavirus disease (Covid19) patients with mild symptoms.

This is to relieve Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center of caring for non-toxic patients while it is taking on a bigger responsibility of treating Covid -19 infected and other patients with critical conditions.

“If the patients are not serious and if they can be managed in their levels, then provincial hospitals don’t have to refer these patients to BGHMC anymore to avoid overwhelming the facility,” Galpo said.

Galpo said even Covid – 19 persons under monitoring and under investigation (PUMs and PUIs) with mild signs and symptoms including those for testing need not be sent outright to BGHMC.

She said blood samples of patients for testing can just be sent to the hospital’s sub-national testing center.

Galpo said they were concerned that some hospitals outside the city refer even those that suffer from mild illnesses causing unnecessary swamping at the hospital.

For his part, Magalong said the city does not intend to turn away patients needing medical attention especially

from a high caliber hospital like the BGHMC.

“However, in these crucial times when we are faced with a serious health crisis, we pray for understanding from hospitals in our neighboring provinces to consider the plight of BGHMC and help ease its burden,” the mayor appealed.