Health workers in Ilocos Norte celebrate nat’l hospital week under long shadow of pandemic

LAOAG CITY — The overwhelming number of virus-infected patients and shortage of beds did not prevent health workers in Ilocos Norte’s biggest public hospital to celebrate the National Hospital Week (NHW) on Tuesday.

The Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital (MMMH) in Batac City led other private and public hospitals in the province in celebrating this year’s NHW that will run from August 10-13.

Dr. Maria Lourdes Otayza, MMMH chief, said in her message during a virtual opening ceremony that the hospital had gone through difficult days since the pandemic began in March 2020.

With another surge in COVID-19 cases in the province, Otayza said the pandemic did not deter MMMH from bringing “quality care” to remain as the “hallmark of health services even through these difficult times.”

Even if health workers in the hospital were not spared by the virus, with at least 150 of them infected as of Monday, Otayza vowed to keep the operations of the hospital running.

“Other areas have been challenged longer than us, but those urbanized areas have a lot more tertiary hospitals to share the burden with, as compared to MMMH where we are the only COVID-19 referral center [in this part of northern Luzon] with catchment [of patients] ranging from Cagayan, Abra, Apayao, Ilocos Sur, aside from Ilocos Norte,” she said.

Data from the Department of Health showed that bed occupancy among the nine hospital facilities in Ilocos Norte catering to COVID-19 patients has reached the critical level, with 201 of 236 beds being occupied already.

The NHW celebration this year also focused on the contribution of the community to the health facilities across Ilocos Norte through extending help during the pandemic.

As an annual event in pursuance of Presidential Proclamation 181, the NHW is a recognition of the role of “health facilities in promoting, safeguarding, and preserving the health of the people.” INQ