THE Benguet General Hospital (BeGH) is reporting a significant portion of its bed capacity being utilized only for COVID-19 care.
Out of the 150 bed capacity of the hospital, some 111 are used for COVID-19 cases and suspected cases, amounting to 74 percent of its total capacity.
Dr. Meliarazon Dulay, chief of the BeGH, said that originally, the BeGH allotment for COVID-19 cases was only 30 percent of its capacity, which they have been forced to increase by converting private rooms and wards for COVID-19 usage.
“We cannot send them to the TTMF (Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facility) even if they are asymptomatic because they have other needs not provided there so they have to be in the hospital,” Dulay said.
The hospital has also made moves to grow its workforce from 300 through the hiring of 50 non-permanent workers and staff.
At the same time, through the Department of Health-Cordillera (DOH-CAR), another 105 personnel were provided to the hospital, as well as 75 medical staff paid for by the funds of the governor’s office.
Governor Melchor Diclas earlier said that while the local government’s subsidy for the province-run hospital amounts to P40 million, the hospital has already taken up P100 million worth of funds thus far in the year.
