Following over bed capacity issue
(Photo from NSPH Facebook page)
TACLOBAN CITY– The Northern Samar Provincial Hospital (NSPH) has returned to normal operations on Thursday, October 23, after temporarily exceeding its maximum bed capacity earlier this month.
This was disclosed by Arlyn Cui, provincial information officer, who added that Provincial Health Officer Dr. Ma. Aurora Vicencio and NSPH Chief Dr. Joseph Estanislao informed Governor Harris Ongchuan and members of the Northern Samar Health Board that the hospital is now able to accommodate new admissions during their meeting on Oct.25.
“NSPH returned to normal operations on Thursday, or four days after the (management) issued the advisory,” she said.
Cui was referring to the Oct.18 advisory of the hospital that it would stopped accepting admission of patients as it was already beyond its be capacity.
The hospital, which has a 150-bed capacity, had been attending to more than 300 patients at the height of the surge, prompting an advisory that it was operating beyond capacity.
Dr. Estanislao clarified that the spike in admissions was not due to any disease outbreak but to common illnesses such as diarrhea, measles, respiratory infections, influenza-like illnesses, and injuries from vehicular accidents.
To ease congestion, NSPH coordinated with rural health units (RHUs) and eight district hospitals to manage less serious cases within their areas, allowing the provincial hospital to focus on patients requiring higher-level care.
During the meeting, Governor Ongchuan also commended local government efforts to strengthen primary healthcare services, particularly the accreditation of municipal health centers as primary care facilities.
The Provincial Health Board lauded San Roque Mayor Ma. Ana Abalon for leading the way, as the San Roque RHU became the first in the province to be accredited by the Department of Health. The municipalities of Catubig, Pambujan, Bobon, and Gamay are also nearing completion of their accreditation requirements.
Governor Ongchuan urged other local government units to follow suit, noting that accreditation will enhance their capacity to deliver quality healthcare to their constituents.
(JOEY A. GABIETA, ROEL T. AMAZONA)
