ZAMBOANGA CITY – The government-run Zamboanga City Medical Center (ZCMC) has already spent PHP46.2 million in treating coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients since its outbreak last year.
Data released Friday by the ZCMC Public Affairs and Customers Care Unit (PACCU) showed the hospital has served 145 patients.
Of the total, 59 were treated last year at a cost of PHP21.5 million while the remaining 86 were treated since January, incurring expenses of PHP24.7 million.
All the Covid-19 patients were classified as severe and critical cases that needed hospitalization, PACCU data showed.
The treatment period ranged from 10 days to one month.
The ZCMC has been designated as the region’s Covid-19 referral hospital because it has the necessary equipment, such as medication (Remdesivir), ventilator, high flow nasal cannula, and oxygen.
Aside from the Zamboanga Peninsula region, the ZCMC also caters to referrals from nearby provinces, among them Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, all part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
The 86-bed Covid-19 ward of ZCMC is manned on a 14-day rotation basis by 27 health care workers consisting of physicians, nurses, medical technologists, radiologic technologists, and housekeeping personnel.
The region has 4,126 active Covid-19 cases as of June 18, with 41.9 percent classified as mild and none critical.
Source: Philippines News Agency