BAGUIO CITY – Four people died due to alleged poisoning in Baguio and Benguet for over a year, a nurse from the toxicology department of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) said here Thursday.
Lea S. Serna, BGHMC toxicology department nurse, said these deaths were recorded this year.
She said one of the reasons for toxic poisoning among those who seek medical assistance from them is due to drug overdose among mostly the elderly who abuse their medication.
For this year, Serna explained that one patient died due to toxic poisoning after undergoing dialysis while another patient was able to survive and is undergoing dialysis as part of his prescribed treatment.
“We appeal to victims of poisoning to immediately seek medical attention from our department and we are very much willing to extend the appropriate assistance for our patients to get well and for the toxins stored in their bodies to be removed,” Serna said.
She appealed to those taking medication to take their medicines as per the prescription provided by their respective doctors in order to avoid poisoning because overdose of medically prescribed drugs is one of the reasons they have recorded from among those seeking medical attention from their department.
She is optimistic that there will be no more poisoning incidents if patients will strictly comply with the prescribed dosages of their medicines, among others, saying that it is still best for everyone to always seek the advise of doctors before trying to take in medicines for their respective illnesses.
Serna said a total of five poisoning patients were treated by the BGHMC toxicology department last year but three persons unfortunately died because of the gravity of the poison that went into their bodies, while this year, only three patients sought help from them and one already expired.
The BGHMC nurse claimed some of their patients were also pesticide poisoning victims from the different parts of Benguet who were referred by the different health facilities in the province as the department is better equipped to deal with cases of poisoning.
She emphasized that poisoning should be immediately given attention and lives could be spared if victims are brought to the hospital immediately and attended by experts in the field of toxicology. Relatives of poisoning victims should always be reminded of the appropriate first aid to be applied before rushing the victims to the hospital.
By HENT
