THE Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC) is already considering to resume its normal operations this week, after a series of re-evaluation of the improving coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) situation of Dagupan City and Pangasinan.

Dr. Joseph Roland Mejia, R1MC chief, said he is set to reopen the hospital’s Outpatient Department (OPD) and its elective surgery department on Arellano Street on Monday (November 1) on seeing the continuing decrease in the number of COVID-19 patients being admitted at the R1MC.

He said the number of people queuing for admission that used to be  more than 100 daily and even ballooned to more than 275, is already much lower.

The two departments were closed in August following the implementation of the hospital’s Surge Plan A to enable R1MC to cope with the waves upon waves of COVID-19 patients coming from Tarlac and as far as Laguna who could not be accommodated in hospitals in their areas.

Mejia, however, said, 170 COVID-19 dedicated beds in the hospital are still occupied and many patients are still housed in the tents and medical wards catering non-COVID cases are also being limited to 50 per ward.

Interviewed at the sideline of the groundbreaking of a proposed Epidemiology Center for Disease Prevention and Protection, Mejia revealed that during the peak of the COVID-19  surge about two months ago, tents were put up at the hospital premises to ensure additional beds for COVID-19 patients.

He said fortunately the three-storey COVID-19 building at RMIC Bonuan Binloc annex was  completed and was immediately used to accommodate additional COVID-19 patients.

Mejia admitted that there were some 400 health workers of R1MC that were contaminated but were diagnosed only as asymptomatic because all had been vaccinated. There are only 40 cases remaining to date.

He said vaccination is the only option to prevent a fourth surge of COVID and called on every one to get themselves inoculated.

“With the situation normalizing, we need to free some beds for other patients not suffering from COVID,” Mejia said, adding that the data showed that 95 percent of the hospital’s patients had recovered and the mortality rate was low.

The new COVID-19 building, which was inaugurated on Thursday, October 27 by Fourth District Rep. Christopher de Venecia, has 48 pressurized isolation rooms for the protection of medical health workers attending to patients.

Mejia also announced that the Eye Center may also be fully operational next week . (Leonardo Micua/Jerick Pasiliao/Ahikam Pasion)

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