VSMMC expands to lessen congestion

CEBU, Philippines — The administration of Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) in Cebu City expands its Emergency Department from a certain section into a highly equipped complex.

This is its way of addressing the common complaints of patients over congestion.

But VSMMC chief Dr. Gerardo Aquino, Jr. admitted that there is no hundred percent guarantee that congestion is fully fixed by improving the emergency department.

“People have this common impression of what a government hospital is. Yes, VSMMC is a government hospital but we are trying our best that we will improve our services… but the more you improve, the more people are coming in,” he told reporters on Wednesday during the inauguration of the new Emergency Department.

“Hopefully, we are trying to address one of those backlogs (particularly in patients’ admissions) and one scenario is to expand the area… You can also see that we are trying to change that image and impression of a government hospital,” he said.

Aquino, however, clarified that patients are actually attended right away and are immediately admitted if there is a need but patients cannot be transferred directly because there is no available room.

Aquino said services at the Emergency Department are free of charge and the institution abides by the policy that any person brought there should be accommodated.

“Our policy is we don’t deny anybody who comes here regardless of the place, the religion, that means anybody can come that want for assistance especially for emergency cases,” he said.

Patients even come from far areas like Mindanao and Luzon.

Not only indigent patients are catered there but recent trend has shown that admitted patients from the middle class are also increasing, said Aquino.

Given the circumstances, he said the medical personnel there never have an intention of delaying the procedures or processes.

He lamented that the medical facility is even operating beyond its capacity and doctors even work tirelessly skipping meals just to cater to incoming patients.

Aquino said the number of patients coming to VSMMC has been rising with an average of 400 patients a day.

“That is the reason why this complex is very timely so that we can improve services that we will be giving to our patients,” he said.

The Emergency Department alone has a bed capacity of 100 patients.

However, actual number may go beyond the ideal ratio. And daily consultations there may accommodate to 200 patients a day.

The Emergency Department complex occupies the entire ground floor of the St. Arnold Janssen Trauma Center building.

Reconstruction costs around P50 million sourced from the Department of Health budget under its health facilities enhancement program.

Dr. Marie Leo Fidel Pataray, chairperson of the Emergency Department of VSMMC, said bed capacity before was limited to 50 persons at a time.

“All the services for the emergency department are already served here,” he said, adding that there are more state of the art facilities there and mounted with new equipment.

He said VSMMC acquired P50 million worth of new equipment such as 60 stretcher beds, five vital signs monitor, and ultrasound machine, among others.

There are also more rooms at the complex such as three procedure operating rooms; pediatric care unit, critical care unit; decontamination room; isolation rooms; and acute adult care unit; among others.

Pataray said accompanying family members or patients don’t have to be transferred to the other buildings for a separate procedure.

He said there is also a satellite laboratory and satellite pharmacy within the Emergency Department.

Moreover, trauma and non-trauma cases, which were separately handled before, have been merged at the department.

Non-trauma cases are generally medical cases such as diarrhea while trauma cases include patients suffering from accidents or injured from disasters. — MBG (FREEMAN)