Hospitals block rooms for APEC

EACH tertiary hospital in Cebu has one priority room ready in case there is an emergency need to accommodate participants and delegates to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings.

Department of Health regional director Dr. Jaime Bernadas said the hospitals include Cebu Doctors Hospital, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMCC), Chong Hua Hospital, Perpetual Succour Hospital, Mactan Doctors Hospital, and Mendero Medical Center.

“It (priority room) is a private room intended for our guests as we also want to become a good host for the participants. Those were already reserved in case it is needed,” Bernadas told the reporters.

There is also a point personnel as well as trained staff who are assigned in each hospital as emergency responders.
“So far, no APEC participant has been admitted. Instead we received reports on consultations,” Bernadas said.

Based on the data recorded by the Operations Center (OpCen) of the DOH-7, some 59 APEC delegates, 308 APEC personnel, and 68 non-APEC personnel availed of medical  consultations from August 20 to 31.

Their complaints included high blood pressure (83), acute respiratory infection (41), wounds and bruises (26), headache (19), upper respiratory tract infection (18), system viral infection (17), conjunctivitis or sore eyes (17), acute tonsil pharyngitis (14), allergic rhinitis (11) and acute gastritis (6).

Most of those who were consulted due to high blood pressure are police personnel deployed for the APEC.

Harvi Durangparang, personnel of Health Emergency Management Staff (HEMS-7) and assigned to the  mobilization and demobilization unit for APEC, said they would also give medicines to those who need them.

Dr. Bernadas also advised the policemen who reportedly have sore eyes to isolate themselves in order to prevent the disease from spreading.

The Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 is taking measures to prevent policemen detailed for the APEC meetings from contracting sore eyes and  acute respiratory infections such as cough and colds by giving medications and if necessary and a rest from deployment.

Senior Supt. Rey Lyndon Lawas, directorate chief of staff of PRO-7 and Site Task Group Cebu spokesperson, said that as of last Monday’s official count, nine policemen are reported to have sore eyes while 57 had common colds.

Those who have sore eyes are mostly detailed as road security personnel. A health station was put up at the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) where most of the police augmentation force are staying.

“A day-to-day inspection by our doctors has been made not just in billeting areas but among road personnel as well. Medications have already been given for colds. Medical kits were also distributed,” he said.

Last Sunday, 200 policemen underwent check up in a medical mission led by Dr. Wyben Briones, founding president of the All-terrain Medical Relief Organization (Amro), at the CICC.

Nine of them were diagnosed with sore eyes and were temporarily pulled out from deployment to lessen exposure to heat and dust and  to avoid the spread of the contagious infection.

At least 57 police personnel were given medications for colds and coughs.

Raincoats were also distributed to more than 3,000 police personnel deployed for APEC.