Doctors’ group: General Santos City health care system on ‘brink of death’

The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) chapter in General Santos on Friday, June 25, warned about a possible collapse of the city’s health care system with the surge of COVID-19 cases in Soccsksargen this month.

“The health care system in the city is on the brink of death,” said Dr. Fidel Peñamante, president of the local PMA chapter.

Penamante and his group cited Department of Health (DOH) data that showed Soccsksargen with new COVID-19 cases reaching over 3,500 in the last two weeks despite stricter measures in place.

Peñamante pointed out that General Santos’ five major hospitals were already short of nurses and other health workers, and that the city’s facilities for treatment and isolation were inadequate.

He said the ratio before this month’s surge in COVID-19 cases was one nurse attending to four to five patients. Now, it’s one nurse to eight or even more patients, he said.

Isolation facilities in the city were running out of space, and were accommodating patients beyond their capacity, Peñamante said.

One problem, he said, was that hospitals and other health facilities in General Santos have no choice but to serve those in need of health care from Sarangani, South Cotabato, and other areas in Soccsksargen.

General Santos and the rest of Soccsksargen have been under general community quarantine (GCQ) since June 1.

Penamante and other physicians in the city have appealed to local officials to call for a COVID-19 summit to stop the virus from spreading further. – Rappler.com