Watchers of patients admitted at the VSMMC stay at the Fuente Osmeña Circle as the hospital implements a one-watcher policy. | Photo courtesy of Cebu City PIO
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The “excess” watchers of patients in Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center who have been affected by the one-watcher policy of the hospital are “a problem that does need to be a problem.”
This was the response of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia as she said that the watchers need to abide by the hospital’s policy and go home instead of camping at the nearby Fuente Osmeña Circle while waiting for their patients to be discharged.
Read: Cebu City urges watchers of VSMMC patients to go home
While Cebu City first said that 130 of the watchers in distress are from Cebu province, the Capitol clarified that only 107 are residents of component towns and cities while the 23 were from Mandaue City “who can actually go home if they are not allowed to stay in the hospital.”
During a press conference on Wednesday, July 29, 2020, Garcia said that out of the 130 excess watchers, including those from Mandaue City, 100 have already went home on Tuesday while 15 were expected to go home on Wednesday.
The other 14, she said, stayed as their patients are already set to be discharged while one is being reassessed if he is to be allowed to be a watcher for his patient in VSMMC.
Garcia also confirmed that she turned down the request of the Cebu City government to place the watchers in the parking area across VSMMC, which is owned by the province.
“They have to abide by the hospital policies. Katong wala nagkinahanglan, nganong naa man?” Garcia said. (Those who are not needed, why are they there?)
“Now, let me state, dili ko mosugot kay kahibaw ko karon 200 na, moabot na na og 1,000 labi na kay libre… Magkadaghan na and this is a problem that should not really be a problem,” she added.
(Now, let me state, I wan’t allow that because I know now it’s already 200. That’ll reach 1,000, especially because it’s free. They’ll increase in numbers and this is a problem that should not really be a problem.)
The Cebu City government, on Wednesday, has also urged the watchers to go home as it is not safe for the watchers to simply stay at the Fuente Osmeña Circle while waiting for their family members to be released from VSMMC, especially these past days with the unpredictable weather. /bmjo