The Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) can still manage the influx of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients, which has pushed its hospital bed capacity to critical levels.

SPMC officer-in-charge Dr. Ricardo Audan made the assurance during a press conference last Friday.

Audan said 93 percent of the intensive care unit (ICU) beds at SPMC is occupied while its isolation wards are at 81 percent capacity.

At these rates, Audan said SPMC’s number of Covid beds can be considered critical.

However, he assured that “everything is managed well. We are trying our best to contain and manage the patients.”

Audan said despite nearing capacity, SPMC’s facility for Covid-19 has been augmented by more frontline health personnel from outside the city, enabling the hospital to cater to the “overwhelming” number of admissions.

The “augmentation personnel,” he said, include the 29-man medical personnel from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, 20 nurses from the National Capital Region (NCR), 15 health workers from Cagayan de Oro City, 10 personnel from Bureau of Fire-Davao, and 22 from the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Audan said 20 health workers from Cebu City are set to arrive here to help SPMC.

He said the “reinforcement” was crucial, especially when SPMC was designed as a “One Hospital Command Center” by the National Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid-19.

Audan said the hospital needed the infusion of more personnel after 456 of its health workers–mostly nurses and doctors–were infected with Covid-19.

Audan said 424 health workers have been discharged, but two died of the virus.

The rest, he said, are still admitted but are in good condition.

As of the first week of the month, the Department of Health in Region 11 (DOH-11) said at least 1,335 health workers in Davao Region tested positive for Covid-19. (PNA)