Capiz health workers seek help, respite from returnees amid rise in COVID-19 cases

ILOILO CITY –– Health workers in Capiz province are calling for help and a reprieve from returnees amid the continued increase of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in the province.

In a joint letter of appeal sent to Capiz Gov. Esteban Evan Contreras, national government offices and agencies and private groups, the medical community and hospital administrators said they needed help amid the “seemingly insurmountable challenges from different fronts that will most likely drown the health system (of the province) if not attended to promptly.”

“Without external support, the Capiz health system will simply drown and collapse,” according to the appeal issued by heads of the Capiz Medical Society, Philippine Hospital Association-Capiz, Capiz Doctors’ Hospital, Capiz Emmanuel Hospital, St. Anthony College Hospital, and The Health Centrum Hospital.

They called for the suspension of the transport of returning overseas Filipino workers (ROFs) and returnees to prevent quarantine facilities supposedly for asymptomatic patients, or those transitioning to go home, from being overwhelmed.

In their letter, they pointed out that Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital, which was supposedly the COVID-19-dedicated facility in the province, had suspended the admission of probable COVID-19 cases after many of its doctors, nurses, and hospital personnel were also infected.

Private hospitals have started to open their facilities to COVID-19 cases, but while there are available hospital beds, they lack personnel to cater to the rising number of cases.

The medical community in Capiz has also called for additional doctors and nurses, personal protective equipment, ventilators, and other medical equipment.

They said they also need field hospital tents to accommodate more persons for quarantine or isolation who do not require hospitalization.

The Capiz Provincial Health Office reported 189 COVID-19 cases as of September 2.

These include 63 active cases, 120 recoveries, and six deaths. Among the 17 municipalities, the capital Roxas City had the highest number with 83 cases.

Of the total number of cases, 60 involved returnees, and 34 were ROFs.

On Monday, the transport of ROFs and returnees to Roxas City was suspended for two weeks amid the continued increase of COVID-19 cases.

In a two-page resolution dated August 27 and announced on Sunday, the Western Visayas Regional Inter-Agency Task Force COVID-19 approved the request of Roxas City Mayor Ronnie Dadivas for a 14-day moratorium on the repatriation into Roxas City of stranded residents and returning overseas Filipino workers from Manila and other areas. Dadivas said the moratorium is effective from August 31 to September 13.

But the moratorium covers only the residents of Roxas City and returnees from other local government units of the province would be allowed through the seaport and airport in the city, according to the resolution.

LZB