Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 17) — There are currently only a handful of COVID-19 cases in Zamboanga City, but a local hospital director worries about how the city government and medical facilities can respond once there is a surge in cases.
Ciudad Medical Zamboanga Director Dr. Marissa Lim told CNN Philippines on Thursday that there are only eight confirmed COVID-19 cases and about 100 suspected cases with mild symptoms. She said local hospitals can manage for now, even highlighting that facilities can take in non-COVID-19 patients from Basilan, Jolo, and Tawi-tawi.
But she said there are not enough resources and manpower if the southern city sees a spike in COVID-19 cases with severe symptoms. She said there are only around 100 beds in the internal care units of local hospitals.
“Each private hospital would have 5 to 10 ICU beds. That would be really not sufficient if we have a surge with severe cases,” she said.
Lim also said the number of medical frontliners showing up for work is dwindling. She added the travel restrictions and Zamboanga’s location is making the delivery of personal protective gear and medicine a grueling challenge.
“It’s the staff, they fear for their safety so not all of them would want to serve. Logistics is also a problem because of the delivery of supplies… It’s very difficult to get those PPEs, masks, goggles down to Zamboanga. Also because there are no regular flights and we are last on the route of the planes that drops off supplies,” she lamented.
If the COVID-19 pandemic lasts until June, she worries about how the current efforts of the local government and hospitals can be sustained.
“The other thing is the sustainability if the projections are right and this pandemic is going to push through until May or June, sustainability of hospital operations — trying to pay the staff, trying to do all that — is going to be a really big challenge,” she said.
