BAGUIO CITY – The City Council approved a resolution authorizing Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong to enter into a memorandum of agreement with the Cordillera offices of the Department of Health (DOH-CAR) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC-CAR) for the use of the former Sto. Niño hospital as a dialysis center for Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) patients.
The resolution authored by all members of the City Council stated there is a need for the establishment of a separate dialysis center for COVID-19 patients to ensure the proper observance of proper distancing and prevent other dialysis patients from being contaminated with the deadly virus.
Under the agreement, the city government shall provide a counterpart of P1.8 million purposely for the refurbishment of the facilities of the former hospital to transform it into a dialysis center while the conduct of dialysis shall be free and to be charged to the PHIC under its prevailing package for dialysis.
Earlier, the former hospital was identified by the city government as a supposed critical care center for positive COVID-19 patients but the difficulty of securing the license to operate and the provision of the required units of medical equipment and supplies compelled the city government to opt for the use of the health facility as an exclusive dialysis center for COVID-19 cases.
Initially, some 5 dialysis machines have been provided for the operation of the dialysis center while additional dialysis machines will be provided by the health department to complete the required number of dialysis machines capable of providing immediate dialysis treatment to COVID-19 patients with complications and who need to undergo the required treatment.
Sto. Niño hospital was temporarily opened by the city government upon consultations with the owners of the facility and the community living near the former hospital as a preparatory measure to effectively and efficiently address the possible surge in the number of COVID-19 cases in the city.
The resolution noted the upcoming operation of the former health facility as a dialysis center for COVID-19 patients will definitely contribute in the efforts of concerned government agencies and the city government to provide an exclusive dialysis center for COVID-19 patients that will curb the possible unnecessary spread of the deadly virus from the affected patients to the ones that are undergoing dialysis treatment in similar facilities.
The signing of the memorandum of agreement will serve as a basis in facilitating the required documentary requirements that will allow the eventual operation of the former health facility as a dialysis center while the additional documents are being processed by the concerned agencies and the city government for its possible use in the future as a COVID-19 critical care center.
Owners of the health facility earlier consented to the request of the city government for the re-opening of the same initially as a dialysis center and eventually into a COVID-19 critical care center once the documents are completed.
By Dexter A. See