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CAGAYAN DE ORO (MindaNews / 21 August) — Two government-run hospitals here will get two off-site modular hospitals for COVID-19 patients in this city which registered the highest number of Delta variant cases in Mindanao at 25 as of August 15.
Ariel Hernandez, a senior adviser to Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., said the vaccination czar phoned him to inform the Northern Mindanao Medical Center and JR Borja General Hospital they will be getting two 100-bed capacity modular hospitals.
Hernandez said construction of the two hospitals will be completed in 45 days.
Mayor Oscar Moreno confirmed this during his daily press briefing Friday saying this would help “ease the problem of hospital beds for the COVID-19 patients”
Moreno said the two hospitals — the city-owned JR Borja General Hospital and NMMC, main referral hospital for COVID-19 patients are already “filled to the brim with patients.”
“These modular hospitals can ease the strain and relieve those confined in the temporary treatment monitoring facilities,” Moreno said.
The Department of Health region 10 briefer on August 19 said there are 536 new Covid-19 cases recorded throughout northern Mindanao and many of these patients end up in the NMMC, straining its bed capacity.
The briefer said Cagayan de Oro recorded 156 cases while neighboring Bukidnon province recorded 160 cases.
Moreno said with the new hospitals, the next problem to be solved is where to find nurses and doctors for these facilities. (Froilan Gallardo / MindaNews)
