COVID-19 hospital in Subic Freeport gets medical tent from Red Cross

The Baypointe Hospital inside the Subic Bay Freeport received a fully air-conditioned medical tent from the Philippine Red Cross. It will serve as an extension COVID-19 isolation and treatment unit. (Photo courtesy of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority)

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The only COVID-19 hospital in this free port has received a fully air-conditioned medical tent from the Philippine Red Cross to serve as an extension isolation and treatment facility.

In a statement on Friday (Aug. 20), Wilma Eisma, chair and administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), said the medical tent was built at the emergency admittance of the Baypointe Hospital in anticipation of the spillover of COVID-19 cases from nearby areas.

“We have here the hospital tent from the Philippine Red Cross that we hope can help Baypointe catch up with the growing numbers of Covid cases,” Eisma said, adding that the tent has a 10- to 20-bed capacity.

Dr. Erlinda Alconga, Baypointe’s expert on infectious diseases, said more patients with COVID pneumonia are turning to the hospital for treatment.

Alconga said at least 68 patients are currently on the waiting list.

“Before our bed capacity for COVID-19 cases was only 29, but now we attend to about 40 to 50 patients at Baypointe,” Alconga said.

According to Eisma, getting additional COVID-19 facilities is among the first steps “to make sure that we are ready should the pandemic escalate even more.”

“We are truly grateful that Senator (Richard) Gordon never misses on giving Subic his priority, as we fight a collective battle against this pandemic,” Eisma added. Gordon, who was the first SBMA chairman, is now chairman of the Philippine Red Cross.