Davao City – The Davao City government is putting up more isolation centers and temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMF) to boost the city’s COVID-19 response as active cases of the respiratory disease continue to rise in some parts of the country.
Davao City Health Office acting head Dr. Ashley Lopez, disclosed that the city government will put up additional isolation and treatment centers in identified three district areas to expand city’s COVID-19 response efforts.
“This is part of the Bayanihan 2 Act fund that was allocated by the Department of Health to Davao City. Naay gi-allocate ang DOH sa Davao which is around 30 million pesos and ang required kay structural, kinahanglan magbuhat ta’g structural TTMF,” Lopez said.
According to Lopez, Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte has recommended three strategic areas where TTMF structures will be installed, each project will cost around 10 million pesos. These areas are in Tibungco in Bunawan District, Malabog in Paquibato District, and in Marilog District.
Lopez said that the additional TTMFs will serve as catch areas for places with distant treatment facilities and will house COVID-19 patients, especially for districts without isolation and treatment facilities, particularly in Paquibato District.
“Mag-set up tag TTMFs didto kay so far wala tay TTMFs didto. What we utilize as an isolation unit and quarantine unit is kadtong mg11a eskwelahan didto sa Malabog Elementary School ug Malabog National High School. Kung mabuhatan sa syag TTMF mao na na sya for our Paquibato District,” he said.
Lopez added that there are around 81 beds for the three temporary treatment and monitoring facilities that will be put up in Davao City. This is based on the recommendation of the Department of Health to place 27 beds per facility.
Lopez revealed that Mayor Duterte proposed to have at least one single occupant per room with a comfort room which differs from the existing DOH standard model of an open type and common rooms with three to four occupants.
According to Lopez, the additional TTMFs will serve as supplement isolation and treatment units in case a surge of COVID-19 infections will arise in the city.
“The mayor wants to heads up tanan para ato na gyung ma-set up. Isa pud na sa tabang nga mabuhat nato in case naa’y surge mahitabo sa Davao,” Lopez said.
Lopez said that Davao City has enough isolation and quarantine facilities to cater to COVID-19 patients. According to him, the total capacity of isolation units in the city is more or less 2,500 excluding quarantine areas and hospitals.
“Mao ni atong anticipation sa Davao. We have to maximize everything. We have to prepare everything ilabina sa pag-accommodate sa atong mga pasyente sa isolation and quarantine areas,” Lopez emphasized. (City Information Office | Michael Manguhig, RPN DXKT Davao OIC)