SAN JOSE, Antique – The Department of Health (DOH) is ready to pull out 30 of its 130 nurses in the province to be deployed to two referral hospitals whose wards are being overwhelmed with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.
Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) health officer Dr. Leoncio Abiera requested for the augmentation of nurses, according to Dr. Rene Feman Autajay, DOH Antique Provincial Health Team Leader.
DOH Antique under its Human Resources for Health (HRH) Nurses Deployment Program hired 130 casual nurses for 18 municipalities effective Jan. 11, 2021.
“With the deployment of the 30 nurses in the COVID-19 facilities, 100 of them will still remain in the municipalities to carry out their regular jobs as public health nurses,” said Autajay.
Sixteen of the 30 nurses will be assigned to the Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital (ASMGH) in the municipality of San Jose while 10 at the Culasi District Hospital in Culasi town.
Four nurses would also be deployed to the San Jose de Buenavista Treatment and Management Facility (STMF) in Barangay Dalipe.
“We are just waiting for the call of the IPHO as to when exactly these nurses will be deployed,” he said.
Before their deployment to hospitals, the 30 nurses will undergo antigen swabs to ensure they are free from COVID-19.
The province of Antique is experiencing a surge in infections since March 11 after a positive patient joined a derby at the San Jose cockpit and contaminated other people inside.
As of April 6, Antique had 333 total cumulative cases; 179 were active cases; 146 have recovered, and eight have died. (PNA)
