MANILA Mayor Isko Moreno announced that the Sta. Ana Hospital now has a fully-renovated and fully-airconditioned intensive care unit (ICU) where COVID-19 patients who are incritical condition may be accommodated.
The hospital headed by its director Dr. Grace Padilla, is where the Manila Infectious Disease Control Center (MIDCC) is located, along with the two COVID laboratories that complement the machines being used for RT-PCR or swab tests being carried out by the city government on a daily basis.
Padilla said that through the full support of Moreno in providing all city-run hospitals with modern facilities and equipment, the new ICU at the Sta. Ana Hospital reopened with a six-bed capacity. It has modern equipment like defibrillators, infusion pumps, cardiac monitors, mechanical ventilators, high flow O2, closed circuit suction machines and ECG machines, among others.
The Critical Care Unit is headed by Dr Paul Lucas (cardiologist); COVID- 19 team leader Dr. Philip Estinar and a host of competent and respected subspecialists, namely infectious disease specialist Dr. Nerissa Sescon; cardiologist Dr. Isagani Gulinao; pulmologist Dr. James Albert Flores; astroenterologist Dr. Raquel Adaza and nephrologist Dr. Eric Hughes Santiago.
Moreno said he takes pride in the fact that those manning the hospital, from the doctors to the nurses and staff, are compassionate and highly competent, proof of which is the high recovery rate that the said hospital has been registering so far.
“We thank all the doctors, nurses and medical frontliners of the said hospital for their continued compassionate efforts in saving precious lives and keeping the populace safe and healthy,” Moreno said.
The Sta. Ana Hospital particularly serves residents of the sixth district of Manila but had also been admitting COVID-19 cases outside the district.
Moreno said the inspiring achievements of the Sta. Hospital make him all the more determined to push for better healthcare facilities and continue providing the city hospitals with upgraded equipment to better address the health problems of Manilans.
Meanwhile, the mayor again reiterated his appeal for Manilans to follow the three ‘Ws’ of basic health protocols: wear face masks and face shields, wash your hands frequently and watch your distance.
In another development, Moreno said the city’s more than 680,000 families will receive Christmas food packs that they can share for Noche Buena.
