DESPITE still being "critical" levels, the intensive care unit (ICU) beds of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), which experienced exhaustion in the past few weeks, are slowly becoming decongested, a hospital top official said.
SPMC officer-in-charge Dr. Ricardo Audan said in a radio interview on Wednesday, November 4, that most Covid-19 patients have already been discharged and transferred to Davao City's temporary treatment and monitoring facility (TTMF) to continue their quarantine.
He also said they are expecting more patients to be discharged in the coming days.
As of November 3, SPMC's ICU bed occupancy is at 90 percent, while its ward beds are at 80.44 percent.
According to SPMC and Department of Health's (DOH) critical utilization rate, an occupancy level that is between 71 and 100 percent is considered "critical" level.
SPMC, one of the Covid-19 referral hospitals not only in Davao City but also in the entire Davao Region, has experienced full occupancy in its ICU beds in the month of October.
It was first recorded on October 5, then on October 16, and the latest, on October 29.
However, since November 1, SPMC's ICU bed occupancy rate began to reduce, ranging between 86 to 90-percent.
"Na-manage gihapon namo kay ang uban gipang-discharge namo and gibutang namo sa TTMF (We were still able to manage our bed occupancy because we discharged some of the patients and transfer them to our TTMF)," he said in a radio interview via 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio,
To improve the city's Covid-19 response and to further decongest SPMC, the hospital official said they are closely coordinating with private hospitals tapped by the city as Covid-19 referral hospitals
In a virtual meeting organized by Department of Health Undersecretary and former SPMC Chief Dr. Leopoldo Vega, Audan said two private hospitals in the city are now gradually accepting Covid-19 hospitals.
Audan also attributed the improvement of the hospital's bed occupancy to Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio's Executive Order (EO) 53, which was issued on September 25, requiring Covid-19 testing for patients referred to any hospitals in the city and for other purposes.
According to SPMC's data in a previous VoxPop Davao interview, he said SPMC received around 35 percent uncoordinated Covid-19 patients, which is attributed to the surge of admitted patients. Most of them are from outside Davao City.
The SPMC's current situation was also the basis of the Davao City mayor to reimpose some movement-regulations, including the reimposition of the 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, 24-hour liquor ban, and regulation of mass gathering.
Based on the DOH-Davao data as of November 3, Davao City has a total of 1,058 active cases, the highest in the entire region.
Meanwhile, Audan reiterated the public's cooperation by abiding by the minimum health protocols.
He said complacency in the protocols had somewhat attributed to the surge of cases in the city.
