BACOLOD, Philippines – Negros Occidental’s health system is overheating as local health officials and workers struggled to contain dengue fever cases.
Public hospitals, infirmaries, and rural health clinics, including the regional hospital in Bacolod, have reached full capacity. They reported being overwhelmed by the surge in dengue cases across the province.
Two facilities – Cauayan Hospital in Cauayan town and Alfredo Marañon Sr. Memorial Hospital (AMSMH) in Sagay City – have stopped accepting patients since July 27 until further notice due to a shortage of beds.
Dr. Ma. Girlie Pinongan, chief of the provincial health office (PHO), reported that from January 1 to August 3, her office has recorded 1,528 dengue cases in the province, with six dengue-related deaths, mostly among children aged 10 years and younger.
According to a PHO report, the highest number of dengue cases are in Sipalay City with 148 cases, Hinoba-an town with 130, and Kabankalan City with 105, all in the far south of the province.
Pinongan noted a 75.32% increase in cases compared to the same period last year, which saw 876 cases.
As a result, 20 government-run hospitals and 31 rural health units in the province, including the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital (CLMMRH), are now overwhelmed with dengue and related cases almost every day.
In Bacolod, the City Health Office (CHO) also reported 360 dengue cases from January to August, with one death.
Meanwhile, the Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas logged 10,188 dengue cases with 20 deaths since January, or 114% higher than the 4,760 cases during the same period in 2023.
Dr. Julius Drilon, CLMMRH’s chief of hospital, told Rappler on Sunday, August 11, that they have no choice but to handle both emergency cases and admissions related to dengue.
CLMMRH, the largest hospital in the province with a 1,000-bed capacity, has had to reduce its capacity to 500 beds amid ongoing construction of new buildings and facilities within the hospital compound.
Moises Padilla Mayor Ella Celestina Garcia-Yulo expressed shock at the dengue outbreak in her municipality, located at the foot of Kanlaon Volcano, which has recorded 34 cases since late June.
“This is the first time in our town’s history that we’ve seen such a number of cases in just over a month,” she said.
Yulo said they are now actively campaigning, even in the most remote areas of their town, to ensure that residents adhere to the “4 o’clock habit” of cleaning their surroundings to prevent the spread of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which spread the disease.
“We are mobilizing all our barangay and municipal health workers to intensify information and education campaigns, saturating our 15 barangays with guidance on how to avoid dengue,” she said.
Health Undersecretary Mary Ann Palermo-Maestral urged Negrenses not to be complacent about dengue.
Maestral also cautioned against relying on indigenous treatments for dengue, such as extracted juice from fresh young papaya leaves or the use of tawa-tawa (wild grass). “Both have no scientific or medical basis. Let’s stick to medically proven methods or treatments. It’s better to consult a doctor or be confined in a hospital for proper treatment,” she said. – Rappler.com