Baguio General Hospital Re-Opens After Temporary Shut Down

May 3, 2020 Metro BLISTT

BAGUIO CITY – The Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center resumed operations mid afternoon Monday, just several hours after it was shut down with the sudden surge of new cases of COVID19 suspected to be emanating from local transmissions here.
“We are resuming admissions of patients in our hospital both COVID and non-COVID,” the state-run BGHMC said in its advisory mid afternoon Monday, adding, “however we will have to scale down in areas where there is a high risk of infection due to new positive cases coming up.
BGHMC said it has adjusted work schedules of their staff in their respective areas in the hospital and instituted stricter infection control measures.
All other operations such as dialysis, out-patient department and triage (has resumed) though with limitations on strict infection control. Sunday afternoon, the BGHMC’s management committee explained its lockdown decision “… (it) has made crucial decision to make necessary steps to break the unceasingly transmission of this virus.”
Such decision came after 9 health workers including three doctors were added to the number of Covid19 patients in the city. As of April 27, 2020 Baguio has already recorded 29 positive cases where 16 are active and under treatment, 12 recovered and one death.
Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong ordered the immediate testing of health workers who are potentially exposed to confirmed COVID-19 patients in all hospitals in the city. He directed all hospital administrators to submit a list of their staff members for testing.
Baguio City starts today (April 27, 2020) the expanded risk-based testing targeting 200 qualified patients a day. Health workers are among the identified priority groups in the testing program, according to City Health Officer Rowena Galpo.
BGHMC also advised all of its consultants who are not on Covid19 team duty and remains asymptomatic, to stay at home or strictly home quarantine for 14 days from last visit to the said hospital. The hospital also directed all its consultants manifesting symptoms related to COVID19 need priority swabbing and must proceed to the BGHMC Garden triage immediately. “All consultants are discouraged & are strongly advised NOT to see patients in all other private hospitals.
The office of the Medical Center Chief is currently notifying all other private hospitals about this advisory,” the advisory stated.
Artemio A. Dumlao/ABN