LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The provincial government will be putting up two more isolation centers in strategic areas to provide additional beds for isolation requirements of suspected and probable Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases from various places.
Gov. Melchor Diclas led local officials and health authorities in the ground breaking of the P28.5 million isolation center within the premises of the Northern Benguet District Hospital followed by a similar facility worth P10 million in Kapangan town.
He stated that the ongoing put up of the isolation centers is to ensure there will be available isolation beds for suspected and probable COVID-19 patients so that they will not have to be transported to the Benguet General Hospital (BeGH) that might cause the local health care system from being compromised and health workers from being stressed.
The governor pointed out the need for confirmed COVID-19 patients to undergo the required facility-based isolation so they will not further transmit the deadly virus to the members of their families and their relatives that could cause the total lockdown of the villages where they are residing.
The isolation centers that are undergoing construction will be in addition to the isolation facilities built in Tublay and Itogon through funds from the public works department to help boost the availability of isolation beds for COVID-19 patients.
In the case of the isolation center to be constructed in the Northern Benguet District Hospital, this will be part of the expansion of the hospital for it to be upgraded to a Level 2 hospital that will further increase the health care services provided to the patients in the provincial government-run health facility.
Diclas reminded the residents to continue complying with the prescribed minimum public health standards because of the emerging threat of the Delta variant of the deadly virus aside from availing of the ongoing inoculation in the different municipalities to prevent them from contracting severe COVID-19.
Benguet is one of the provinces that have been placed under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) by the inter-agency task force for the management of emerging infectious diseases.
He assured that the provincial government will continue sustaining the development of local health facilities to increase their capacity to effectively and efficiently handle the health care needs of the people seeking medical attention from the said centers to prevent people from flocking to the well-equipped government and private hospitals inside and outside the province just to be able to avail of quality health care services.
The provincial government currently manages and operates the BeGH, the Northern Benguet District Hospital, the Kapangan Community Medicare Hospital, the Itogon District Hospital, the Atok District Hospital and the Dennis Molintas Memorial Hospital following the devolution of health care to the local governments by virtue of the pertinent provision of Republic Act (RA) 7160 or the Local Government Code of the Philippines. By HENT