Dengue emergency unit set up as hospitals struggle with high number of patients

THE Philippine Red Cross has set up a dengue emergency medical unit at the Jesus M. Colmenares District Hospital in Balasan as both government and private hospitals in Iloilo struggle with the high number of dengue patients in need of medical attention. “We are ready to accept patients & help decongest the hospital. The emergency medical unit is equipped with quality beds and air conditioning units to provide comfort to patients and their companions,” Philippine Red Cross said in a Twitter post. The towns of Maasin and Balasan have already converted their respective covered gyms to serve as temporary hospitals for dengue patients. Iloilo Provincial Hospital Management Office Officer-in-Charge Cynthia C. Ng said while all hospitals are operating at over-capacity, the medical sector and the local government units are doing everything to cope with the situation. “All hospitals in the province are crowded because over na ang capacity, but again we are trying with the (hospital) chiefs to cope… We make sure we accommodate, treat and cater to their (patients’) needs,” she said in an interview on Friday. — with a report from Emme Rose S. Santiagudo