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Manila City gov’t eyes Santa Ana Hospital as dedicated facility for COVID-19 patients
Manila Mayor Isko Moreno on Wednesday said the Santa Ana Hospital will be converted into a dedicated hospital for COVID-19 patients should there be an outbreak of the viral disease in the city.
The 10-storey Santa Ana Hospital hosts the recently launched Manila Infectious Disease Control Center, which will accommodate people with possible COVID-19 infection.
“Halimbawa pumutok na talaga, the entire Santa Ana Hospital, the medical institution, will be concentrated, will be converted in [case of] a worst case scenario na COVID-19 hospital,” Moreno said in a televised briefing.
“Aalisin namin lahat doon, everything. This is a 10-storey building, aalisin namin lahat doon.”
Moreno also said the city government may convert public schools into quarantine areas for persons under investigation (PUIs) with mild symptoms.
“[In case of] Armageddon scenario, dumami talaga ng husto [at] hindi na kaya. We have to segregate the sick and the healthy,” he said.
The mayor, meanwhile, appealed for assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development in connection with the distribution of relief supplies during the enhanced community quarantine.
“Ang kailangan namin ngayon pagkain. True ang Maynila we were ahead of COVID and we wanted to defeat COVID. The city appropriated x number of millions for food but as you all know the snowball effect of quarantine affects everything,” Moreno said.
On March 12, Moreno unveiled the city government’s COVID-19 response plan that included a budget for information dissemination, provision for food and water, medicine and purchase of medical equipment to curtail the spread of the disease.
He also set aside budget for vitamin supplements for senior citizens, who are the most vulnerable to the deadly coronavirus disease.
Manila had 30 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including two deaths, and 89 PUIs as of Tuesday, according to the city government. —KG, GMA News
