Zambo hospitals struggle with Covid cases, lack of oxygen supplies

PRIVATE AND government hospitals here are now facing a shortage in oxygen supply following the surge in Covid-19 cases in the past months.

(Zamboanga Post)

The Private Hospitals Association (PHAP) and the Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) said the spike in the number of infections also resulted in the shortage of hospital beds and doctors have appealed to residents to strictly follow the health protocols. 

Zamboanga City now has over 2,000 active Covid-19 cases and the number continues to rise despite efforts of the local government to control the spread of the deadly respiratory virus. 

PHAP President Dr. Marites Maximo said private hospitals have temporarily frozen the admission of Covid-19 patients requiring oxygen because of the shortage of supply. “This is our present situation. I would like to appeal to everyone, please continue practicing the minimum health standards,” Maxino said. 

Dr. Afdal Kunting, ZCMC chief, also echoed Maximo’s appeal and called on the public not to be complacent and to comply with the health and quarantine protocols. “The Covid-19 situation now is more serious than before. More people are getting sick, their health condition is worsening and that’s why we are appealing to everybody to comply with the minimum health standards, to wear face masks in public places or to stay at home,” he said. 

Kunting said medical frontliners are now overwhelmed with severe Covid-19 cases, adding, the ZCMC has opened additional wards to accommodate the surge of patients. 

The ZCMC has renewed its contract for 12,000 cylinders with an oxygen supplier which gets the supply in Cebu and due to the shortage, it can only deliver 100 cylinders every week. 

Mayor Beng Climaco, head of the local Covid-19 task force, said the local government is helping and facilitating the delivery of oxygen supply from Cebu and even Manila to replenish stocks in Zamboanga. “But what makes the situation difficult is that oxygen suppliers are also serving other provinces where Covid-19 cases are also soaring,” she said. 

The lack of oxygen supply in Zamboanga has belied reports made by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to President Rodrigo Duterte that the shortage of supply in the country has been addressed. “Sa ngayon po ay mukhang wala na tayong naririnig na mga reklamo sa mga ospital sa buong bansa dahil sapat na ‘yung supply ng ating oxygen,” said Lorenzana, the chairman of the national Covid-19 task force.

Dr. Rolando Enrique Domingo, of the Food and Drug Administration, said there are at least 120 licensed manufacturers which supply hospitals across the country.

According to the Zamboanga City Health Office, the following villages have the highest number active Covid-19 cases: Tetuan, Tumaga, and Santa Maria recorded over 100 cases; and under 100 are Putik, Guiwan, Calarian, Talon-Talon, Ayala, San Roque, Tugbungan, Pasonanca, Divisoria, Canelar, Mercedes, Baliwasan, Lunzuran, San Jose Gusu, Vitali, Malagutay and Culianan.

And with the spike in Covid-19 cases, the local government said the Sunday lockdown will continue until October 31 allowing public and government offices, including business owners to disinfect their establishments.

Despite the increasing number of active Covid-19 cases, the national government’s Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) has prolonged the General Community Quarantine classification of Zamboanga until the end of the month.

The spike in infections in the community are largely blamed to the Delta variant of the Covid-19 and the complacency of residents who continue to violate public health protocols despite repeated warnings from the local government and the City Health Office.

City Health Officer Dr. Dulce Amor Miravite also noted that Covid-19 has already affected even the younger population with deadly consequences. “We are now seeing the younger population also getting infected. We have compared our data from last year (when the original virus was detected) with the present situation, now we have under 15-years old who died from Covid. We have to strictly follow the minimum health standards. Let us protect ourselves, keep our family and our loved ones especially children and our senior citizens protected. Please take care,” Miravite said.

One doctor, who asked not to be named, said the Covid-19 wards at the Zamboanga City Medical Center are full. He said even some doctors have been infected with the virus after being exposed to relatives or family members of patients in non-Covid wards.

“The (Covid-19) wards are full and even doctors are getting sick and some of them who have comorbidities are now undergoing dialysis. They got the virus from watchers of patients in non-Covid wards. You know, patients being admitted undergo Covid testing, but now their watchers who turned out to be positive for Covid, although asymptomatic, spread the virus to some doctors and maybe other people at the hospital,” he told the Zamboanga Post last month.

“This is a very dangerous time. Health authorities should have placed Zamboanga City under Enhanced Community Quarantine to immediately address the spike in Covid-19 cases which is largely blamed on the Delta variant (of the new Coronavirus). Now is the time to declare ECQ,” he added.

The Delta variant was first detected in India, but quickly spread in more than 130 countries. (Zamboanga Post)