Zamboanga appeals for medical support amid Covid pandemic

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Following nearly 2 dozen suspected coronavirus, of Covid-19, deaths and hundreds more being monitored by local health authorities, Mayor Beng Climaco has appealed for more medical support and test kits for hospitals here.

“What we are appealing from the local government unit of Zamboanga, on behalf of Region 9 - Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi -  is that if we have this tests available in Zamboanga City that’s approved by the RITM (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine) so we will be able to easily test our suspected patients at para ma-loan natin sa ating mga hospital facilities sapagkat napakatagal tayong makakuha ng results and sometimes yun pasyente natin paglabas na positive siya eh matagal na natin namo-monitor sa ospital,” Climaco explained.

Many “persons under investigation,” or PUI, in Zamboanga died even before their Covid-19 test results could come out. PUI is a person that shows symptoms of cough, colds and fever with a travel or contact history to countries or person that is affected with Covid- 19, and being admitted in the hospital for observation. 

“Ang hinihiniling po namin talaga sa the Department of Health (DOH) is to make available information now for us to know kung ano ang mga gamot and remedies that can easily be purchased by local government units sapagkat mayroon pong ninanais ang ating mga neighbors from other places also that DOH may be accessed by us so that makatulong po tayo sa fight against Covid,” Climaco said.

She said Zamboanga which is under a strict enhanced community quarantine since last month is struggling to combat the spread of the deadly virus and the number of those getting infected continue to rise. She said Zamboanga City has not receive any Covid-19 test kits despite the mounting cases since the enhanced community quarantine was imposed to prevent the spread of the pandemic.

“Ano po ang maibibigay na solution (ng DOH) para sa amin because not everyone that is swabbed is being tested (because) meron po silang very strict criteria with the RESU (Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit) and that is where our backlog is kasi ang sinasabi ng mga local government units kung mabigyan kami ng access ng DOH to test as many possible suspects as we can, it will really ease the burden on our hospitals, it will ease the burden on the local government units so we are asking and appealing from DOH to help us rapidly, positively test these cases if they are positive in a way we will be able to ensure that health services will be provided at the earliest possible time,” Climaco said.

“Wala (hindi) po kami nabigyan ng test kits sa Zamboanga City and the only process we are observing is the DOH swabbing so ang sinasabi namin ay may kakayahan ang mga local government units to buy the test kits, but the question is maa-aprubahan ba ito ng DOH although this is FDA-approved pero dadaan at dadaan pa rin ito sa RITM and that is why in order to help fight Covid-19 outside of Metro Manila kami po dito sa Mindanao ay wala pong natatanggap na rapid test kits, but we do not want to burden the national government because we have over 5,000 cases and we have the finances to purchase these test kits,” she added.

Climaco said Zamboanga has over 100 PUIs and nearly 600 PUMs or those with travel and contact history to countries or person that is affected with Covid-19, but not displayed any symptoms of the virus and are just advised to undergo a 14-day self-quarantine at home to be monitored by health workers. PUIs and PUMs were old DOH Covid-19 classifications which have been modified to 3 categories: Suspect, Probable and Confirmed cases.

She also asked the DOH for more protective gears for hospital, frontline and health workers. “Right now the City Government has provided the PPEs for our public hospitals, and even our private hospitals, very limited I think the DOH only gave 10 PPEs for Zamboanga City, but we are providing the PPEs and courtesy of our sister city in China, and other generous groups and people. This is really the private-partnerships of Zamboangueno communities and Chinese sisterhood agreements (Guigang City) that we have,” she said, referring to the donations of various organizations and groups, and individuals.

Zamboanga City Government photos show the extensive distribution of relief assistance to poor families in different villages.

But many residents are now restless and angry and were blaming village officials and the Department of Social Welfare and Development for allegedly failing to provide them more provision since they cannot go out due to the strict quarantine guidelines, and all this despite the aggressive efforts of the local government to feed and keep them safe from Covid-19.

The local government has provided food packs - rice, grocery items and even vitamins - to over 150,000 households in almost all 98 villages, mostly to poor families, and the distribution of relief assistance continues as Climaco ordered an intensified food program for all. (Zamboanga Post)

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