GUIMARAS – Good news. The Dr. Catalino Gallego Nava Provincial Hospital (DCGNPH) in Jordan, Guimaras, gets an improvement to its facilities.
Five-unit isolation rooms funded by the Department of Health (DOH) through the World Bank were recently inaugurated.
Gov. JC Rahman A. Nava, MD, concurrent chairperson of the Hospital Management Board, and Cong. Ma. Lucille L. Nava, MD, led the blessing of the upgraded isolation facilities.
The ceremony was graced by DOH Undersecretary of Health/Health Policy Infrastructure Development Team (HPIDT) Lilibeth C. David, MD, MPH, MPM, CESO I and the DOH Assistant Secretary of HPIDT, Leonita P. Gorgolon, MD, MHA, MCHM, CEO VI.
The isolation rooms were in support of the Philippines’ coronavirus disease 2019 Emergency Response Project.
The isolation rooms contain air cleaners equipped with High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, which continuously trap small, harmful particles, such as pollen and smoke, that may contain viruses.
The rooms are also equipped with measured negative room pressure that is not only adaptive but also automatic.
The DCGNPH is the first hospital in Western Visayas to have isolation rooms of such caliber.
In his message, Gov. Nava said the isolation rooms will become the infectious disease ward of the DCGNPH.
He also expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the DOH.
“Guimaras is a small island province with a big aspiration, and that includes the aspiration to deliver or establish a responsive health care system,” Gov. Nava said, “And this aspiration and realization is becoming brighter,”
Undersecretary Lilibeth David expressed the DOH’s readiness to support, saying, “The DOH is willing to be a part of the dream of Guimaras.”
Dr. Inocencio H. Lopez, officer-in-charge chief of DCGNPH, likewise conveyed his thanks to the DOH and cited the benefits of the isolation rooms.
“The top 10 mortality and morbidity rates in the DCGNPH are infectious in nature,” Dr. Lopez explained, “We hope that with these new facilities, we can bring down the number of these infectious cases.” (With a report from the Province of Guimaras)/PN
