South Cotabato province is planning to acquire additional oxygen tanks and other equipment to address the needs of local government-run hospitals that are catering to coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients.
Rolly Doane Aquino, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said Thursday they are considering using the province’s Quick Response Fund (QRF) for the purchase.
He said they already coordinated with the Integrated Provincial Health Office regarding the equipment and supplies they need, including the oxygen tanks, to improve the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
The province has a standby QRF of over PHP30 million that can be used for calamity response, including the pandemic, he said.
“As of now, our oxygen tanks are not sufficient and we have to use our available funds to make sure that we will not face a shortage,” Aquino said at a virtual press briefing.
The provincial government has existing Covid-19 treatment centers at the South Cotabato Provincial Hospital in Koronadal City, Polomolok Municipal Hospital, Norala District Hospital, and the Soccsksargen General Hospital in Surallah town.
Aquino admitted that the province faced problems like a shortage of medical oxygen at the height of the Covid-19 surge last month.
He said the problem was mainly due to the limited number of oxygen cylinders or tanks available in the area.
South Cotabato Gov. Reynaldo Tamayo Jr. was able to arrange the prioritization of the province’s oxygen with the lone producer GenSan Industrial Compressed Gas Corporation based in Polomolok town, he said.
The governor’s family has already given around PHP800,000 worth of medical oxygen supplies, while the local government has received a donation of five oxygen concentrators worth PHP400,000.
Aside from the hospital equipment, Aquino said they are currently looking for additional funds to augment their relief operations for residents affected by Covid-19 and weather-related disasters.
Citing their projection, he said the PHP2 million approved recently by the provincial board for the relief goods might not be enough to sustain their operations until the end of the year.
He said they are considering realigning portions of the QRF and some funds intended for disaster training, which have mostly been shelved due to the pandemic.
Aquino said about 70 percent of the food or relief packs that have been distributed by the provincial government since last year went to families affected by Covid-19.
“Some of our municipalities and barangays have been facing a shortage in their relief supplies for Covid-19 response and we are continuously addressing that,” he said.
Source: Philippines News Agency