The western visayas medical center (wvmc) has strengthened its capacity to respond to public health emergencies and airborne infectious diseases with the opening of a 25-bed isolation facility in pototan: The facility at the Pototan Mental Health Unit in Barangay Rumbang was formally turned over Friday to the Department of Health (DOH)-retained hospital. It was funded through the Asian Development Bank's Health System Enhancement to Address and Limit Covid-19 (ADB-HEAL) Project.
According to Philippines News Agency, in a message delivered by DOH Undersecretary Mary Ann Palermo-Maestral, Health Secretary Jose Pujalte Jr. said the facility reflects the government's commitment to improving preparedness for future health emergencies. "This turnover represents far more than the completion of the building. It represents our collective commitment to protect the lives and health of every Filipino, strengthen our preparedness for future public health emergencies and ensure that our health systems remain responsive in times of crisis," Pujalte said.
He said the facility will allow WVMC to safely manage patients requiring specialized isolation while protecting health workers, preventing health care-associated infections and maintaining essential medical services during outbreaks. WVMC Medical Center Chief II Joseph Dean Nicolo said the facility has 25 specialized beds, including five negative-pressure rooms, five individual isolation rooms and 15 ward beds with operating and delivery room capabilities.
"Built to the highest engineering and safety standards, this facility ensures that our health care personnel can treat highly infectious airborne diseases safely while providing compassionate, high-quality care to our patients," Nicolo said. DOH Western Visayas Center for Health Development Director IV Mar Wynn Bello said the facility will remain useful even as Covid-19 cases decline, as it can also serve patients with other infectious diseases.
"Covid-19 is still here, and some cases are still being detected not only in Iloilo but throughout the Philippines. This facility can still serve its purpose of isolating Covid-19 cases and other infectious diseases," Bello said. The ADB-HEAL Project supports improvements in health facilities and emergency response capabilities following the Covid-19 pandemic.
Also present during the turnover were DOH Undersecretary Christian Lel Saquilabon, Assistant Secretaries Maylene Beltran and Melissa Sena, and Iloilo Provincial Administrator Raul Banias, who represented Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr.
