PHILIPPINE National Police chief, General Debold M. Sinas yesterday led the opening of the PNP COVID-19 Emergency Treatment Facility in Camp Crame which will cater to police personnel who have tested positive for the virus while waiting to be accommodated to other hospitals if needed.
The facility is actually the Kiangan Billeting Center whose 55 beds have been converted into treatment areas for patients, manned by six doctors, 54 nurses, 36 others allied health workers and six ambulance drivers divided into three teams, said PNP Health Service director, Brigadier Gen. Nolasco K. Bathan.
“The facility will accommodate PNP personnel who have tested positive for the virus and are having difficulty in breathing and shortness of breath. While waiting for private hospital rooms, they will stay here,” said the official.
Bathan said that facility has been fitted with wash rooms, doffing area, donning area, laundry area with washing machines, a triage area for close contact, a triage area for confirmed cases and a holding area prior to transfer to other quarantine facility.
He said that even those who have close contact with patients need to undergo quarantine too.
Gen. Sinas ordered the conversion of the Kiangan center into a special COVID-19 facility as part of his effort to take care of policemen who have contracted the virus while in the performance of their duties.
The facility has its own nurse stations, a CCTV and a public address system, an internet connectivity and quartering for medical staff. Its patients will be automatically provided with basic health and hygiene kits upon entry.
Bathan said that it also has a treatment room, a transition area from clean to contaminated area and an acure area care form the monitoring of unstable patients until they become stable.
PNP Deputy Chief for Administration and Administrative Support to the Joint Task Force COVID commander Lieutenant Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo T. Eleazar said that as of yesterday, they have monitored 8,718 cases in the PNP, 355 of them active cases.
Of the 8,718 cases since last March, 8,336 have fully recovered and are now back to full duty status. The PNP has recorded 27 COVID-19 deaths so far.
Lt. Gen. Eleazar said that they are progressing on their move to test their men for the virus specifically those assigned in Metro Manila.
As of yesterday, he said that 12 policemen who have contracted the virus are already in the hospital while 343 are in quarantine facilities.
Eleazar said that as a result of their aggressive testing, a total of 76,207 police personnel have been subjected to RT-PCR test already including 2,199 in Camp Crame; 23,148 from the different National Operational Support Units and 50,860 from the 17 Police Regional Ofifces.
“But because of this aggressive testing, maraming nagpa-positive kaya nga ang focus namin is to have a more effective contact tracing dito sa NHQ and with the help of the different Station Health Units of the PNP as ordered by Gen. Sinas,” the PNP’s no. 2 man said.
