Free food hurts 130
Donor apologizes, provides antibiotics, fluids to a packed hospital
Most of those who fell ill went to the Guba Community Hospital, but several were transferred to other facilities like Chong Hua Hospital by a team from Cebu City’s disaster management office, which sent 2 ambulances, a support vehicle and 12 paramedics What they had in common: chicken and spaghetti
AT LEAST 130 residents in Sitio Tawagan II, Barangay Sirao, Cebu City were hospitalized after eating spaghetti and chicken during an outreach program last Monday.
While she declined to name the establishment that cooked the food, businesswoman Elena Chua said that the City Health
Department inspected the place yesterday.
Chua, who owns a famous flower farm in Barangay Sirao, apologized to those who fell ill, and said that the food packs were distributed in good faith.
The cases strained resources in the 25-bed Guba Community Hospital and prompted City Hall to send additional doctors there.
The affected residents started arriving in the Guba hospital at midnight last Tuesday. Most of them reported severe stomach pains, frequent bowel movements, vomiting, and fever, hours after they had eaten spaghetti and chicken.
Jane Miñoza, 34, one of the workers in the flower farm, was among the first few people admitted to the facility. Her entire family was hospitalized.
“Sakit gyud kaayo akong tiyan. Mura ko’g makuyapan (My stomach hurt terribly. I felt like I was about to faint),” she told Sun.Star Cebu. Jane went to the hospital together with her eldest daughter, 12-yearold Phoebe Kate, who also fell ill.
Her husband, Dante, and their two other children, eight-year-old Lebron and five-year-old Xheanaeh, later joined them because of severe stomach pains.
The daughter of Arnel Ople, who is one of the gardeners in the flower farm, was also hospitalized. Ople couldn’t help but shed tears while watching the 25-bed hospital crammed with his sick neighbors and friends, some of whom were still waiting to be admitted.
“Naluoy ko sa akong anak. Naluoy ko sa mga tawo (I feel so sorry for my daughter and for everyone else),” Ople said.
Home treatment
As of 11 a.m. yesterday, Guba hospital has admitted 133 patients and referred three others to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) due to severe dehydration.
Several other patients were also brought to other facilities like Chong Hua Hospital by the Cebu City Disaster Risk and Management Office (CCDRRMO), which sent two ambulances, a support vehicle, and 12 paramedics since Tuesday midnight.
The CCDRRMO also went house-to-house in Sirao to serve the patients who opted to stay at home and self-medicate.
The number of admitted patients at Guba is still expected to increase since there were 300 food packs distributed during last Monday’s activity.
The youngest patient admitted in the community hospital is one year old, while the oldest is 59 years old.
Chua visited the hospital yesterday and talked to the patients to apologize. Her husband also visited those who were confined in other facilities.
“I did this (outreach program) because our garden is doing well. It was my promise to them that I would do an outreach kay ang mga tawo nalipay sa garden (because the people were happy with the garden). It was really a good intention,” she said, crying.
Thanksgiving
“I want to say sorry sa mga tawo (to those who fell ill). I just want to help the people around because I haven’t met them yet. This is just the first year of the business,” she added.
Chua grows Celosia flowers in an 8,500-squaremeter farm in Sirao. Her business started in January this year.
Chua said the food distributed during their activity was not cooked in their kitchen but prepared by a family friend who owns a restaurant.
Chua vowed to shoulder the medical expenses of the patients. “We will not leave them,” she said.
However, CCMC chief of hospital Dr. Gloria Duterte said that Mayor Tomas Osmeña directed them not to bill the patients. Guba is an annex hospital of the CCMC.
With this, Duterte said they just asked Chua to provide several dextrose fluid bags and antibiotics since the community hospital ran out of supplies. This will be in addition to the supplies that will be taken from CCMC.
Aside from medicines, Guba hospital is in need of an additional 30 to 50 beds from the City Government, Duterte also said.
More doctors
Due to the limited beds, the patients ended up sharing. One of the beds was occupied by at least five children.
If the Guba hospital can no longer accommodate more patients, Councilor Alvin Arcilla said that the mayor negotiated with Cebu North General Hospital and Chong Hua to admit them.
Arcilla, who went to Guba yesterday, said CCMC cannot accept more patients just yet because it is also full.
CCMC, though, has fielded more doctors and nurses to Guba hospital following the incident. Duterte said the facility now has eight doctors instead of five doctors for every shift. They operate two shifts.
According to Duterte, they are taking stool samples from the patients to confirm if there was bacteria in what they had eaten.
“We will conduct culture and sensitivity test. After three days, mahibaw-an na nato unsa ang bacteria nga naka- cause sa sakit nila (we may know what type of bacteria caused their conditions),” she said.
With Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations around the bend, Duterte advised the public to be careful with the food they take. She also asked food handlers to cook meals properly.