South Harbor COVID-19 treatment facility to open sooner than target

South Harbor COVID-19 treatment facility to open sooner than target
PPA April 18, 2020 https://pia.gov.ph/press-releases/releases/1039320

MANILA, April 17 -- The Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) is set to open the South Harbor Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) medical treatment facility as early as next week as retrofitting of the passenger terminal is likely to finish this weekend.

PPA is fast-tracking the completion of the facility in its bid to boost the medical treatment capacity of the National Capital Region as well as its nearby cities and provinces, which has been lacking due to the increasing number of COVID-19-infected persons.

General Manager Jay Daniel R. Santiago explained that the round-the-clock construction has been on-going since Monday to speed-up the completion of the said medical facility.

“Almost all hospitals, public and private, are already saturated, which makes the early completion of the facility all the more important in order to plug the holes that these hospitals can no longer accommodate,” Santiago stressed.

“Once completed and all necessary equipment are set-up, the facility will immediately commence full medical operations,” Santiago added.

The treatment facility being set-up at the Eva Macapagal Super Terminal, will house about 211 cubicles distributed in different zones of infections: mild, advance and severe.

The facility is likewise fitted with airtight doors to prevent aerosols containing COVID-19 virus from spreading aside from the provision of equipment needed to treat COVID-19 patients.

The Department of Health personnel as well as the health and safety personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard will render the necessary medical treatment to patients being brought to the facility while PPA will provide the additional support personnel that will be needed to run it.

“This is one of the many contributions of the Department of Transportation, the PPA, the PCG and the Maritime Industry Authority to help the country in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic boosted by the P100 million funding support from the Lopez Group of Companies,” Santiago said. (PPA)