Philippine Red Cross isolation facilities boost PH efforts to combat COVID-19
THE sudden surge of positive cases in March 2021 heightened the need for facilities that can care for asymptomatic patients and those with mild symptoms.
The pressure became so intense that Philippine Red Cross Chairman (PRC) and CEO Sen. Richard Gordon invited MMDA Chairman Benhur Abalos and LGU mayors on Good Friday to present his plan to address the crisis, the conversion of idle classrooms into isolation facilities.
The enthusiastic response of the MMDA chairman and the Metro Manila mayors spurred Gordon to put the plan into action.
A call to Ateneo de Manila University President Roberto Yap, University of the Philippine President Danilo Concepcion, and Bro. Armin Luistro of the De La Salle Brothers created a surfeit of rooms to accommodate residents of Quezon City and Manila affected by COVID-19.
The succeeding days saw a flurry of action to procure equipment and prepare the respective school facilities as quarantine areas, develop house rules and the creation of the data structure. The first Isolation Facility at the Ateneo Campus was inaugurated on April 17 and the first patients were admitted on the same day. Rooms at the UP and De La Salle were inaugurated days later.
All patients must be endorsed by their respective Local Government Unit City Epidemiology Surveillance Unit (LGU-CESU) before being admitted to the PRC-IF. Doctors and nurses on-site shall be closely monitoring the patients’ vital signs daily during the mandated 14-day quarantine period. Patients are permitted to request for the delivery of essential items outside the facility such as food and other personal necessities, subject to the approval of the management. If any patient may require advanced medical care, the PRC-IF staff shall arrange a transfer to a nearby hospital or treatment facility. Meanwhile, those who are observed to be asymptomatic three days before the completion of the 14-day quarantine stay will be cleared for discharge. All reusable materials utilized by patients are disinfected and exposed to sunlight for three days before being issued to the next patient. Truly, the PRC-IF ensures a safe, comfortable, and convenient environment for COVID-19 patients.
The newly opened PRC Isolation Facility is only one among the various initiatives dedicated to enhancing the management of COVID-19 in the country. The PRC continuously seeks the assistance of other LGUs, academic institutions, and organizations to further expand this promising initiative and heed to the rising needs of Filipinos. Amid great uncertainty, only one thing remains certain — that we can stop the spread of the virus as long as we join forces and work hand in hand. Individually we are strong but together, we are unstoppable.
“Kapag ang tao at ang lider ay nagsama-sama, lalabas ang tibay at galing natin laban sa pandemya. The PRC, led by our team of volunteers and staff made up of doctors and healthcare professionals will continue to innovate and cooperate to keep the virus at bay and alleviate its impact on the most vulnerable families,” Gordon said.
