A key health official in Negros Oriental is appealing for registered nurses to sign up with the provincial government and private hospitals to help in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 in the Province.
Assistant Provincial Health Officer Dr. Liland Estacion, in a virtual presser late Tuesday afternoon, said there are vacancies in all public and private hospitals here but there are no takers.
“I appeal to you, please, do it not just for the money. Do it out of love for the people and because we need you. I hope you have the heart to serve the constituents of Negros Oriental,” she said in mixed English and Cebuano dialect.
Estacion, Covid-19 incident commander of the province’s Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, said they understand the risks that nurses face each day but what they do “God will reward them”.
She was referring to registered nurses here who are taking on other better-paying jobs, such as with call centers, but did not give specific numbers as to how many additional nurses are needed in the different hospitals.
“I have asked the deans of different nursing schools and colleges here to help us but nobody has responded,” she said.
The appeal for more nurses is made as Negros Oriental continues to grapple with its third surge of cases of Covid-19.
As of Oct. 26, records at the Provincial Health Office showed a 91 percent overall Covid-19 isolation bed occupancy rate in both public and private hospitals.
Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital logged 88 percent; Silliman University Medical Center, 90 percent; Holy Child Hospital, 95 percent; Ace Dumaguete Doctors Hospital, 110 percent; Negros Polymedic Hospital, 95 percent; Bayawan District Hospital, 73 percent; Guihulngan District Hospital, 100 percent; Siaton District Hospital, 75 percent; and Bais District Hospital, 92 percent.
The Province is currently under Alert Level 4 status, the second-highest alert level, and is considered “high risk” with rising cases and increasing utilization rates of Covid-19 isolation beds.
Meanwhile, Estacion is discouraging people from taking alternative medicines and supplements against coronavirus disease 2019 and instead have themselves vaccinated.
“It is sad to note that while Covid-19 vaccines are available for free, many people still refuse to get vaccinated and turn to herbal and other forms of supplement medications,” said Dr. Estacion, also the Assistant Provincial Health Officer, in a virtual presser late Tuesday afternoon.
These types do not work against Covid-19, especially if they do not have the approval of or are endorsed by the Bureau of Food and Drugs, she said.
“The vaccine is the most effective way to combat Covid-19 and is the one recommended by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” Estacion added, speaking in mixed English and Cebuano dialect.
She appealed to media practitioners promoting herbal supplements against Covid-19 in their radio programs and in social media platforms to instead help the government in encouraging people to get vaccinated.
The latest deaths due to Covid-19 in the province were unvaccinated individuals, she noted.
Health authorities kept emphasizing that those vaccinated against Covid-19 have a higher rate of not developing into a severe case or being hospitalized.
On Tuesday, Estacion reported the Province had 44 new mortalities due to Covid-19. (Judy F. Partlow/PNA)
