ILIGAN CITY, Mar 27 (PIA) -- The city government here has started refurbishing the third level of E and R Hospital to serve as the Iligan COVID-19 Quarantine Facility (ICQTF) and extension of Gregorio T Lluch Memorial Hospital's (GTLMH) isolation ward.

A revamp of the said area has been taken into abrupt action after a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on its usage has been signed between the local government unit (LGU) of Iligan and the E and R Hospital on March 21, 2020.

Expected to house a maximum of 25 COVID-19 patients, the immediate preparation of the facility is complete with a sanitation tent, triage, donning and doffing areas, and audio-visual CCTV cameras. With this state-of-the-art CCTV cameras, patients and healthcare workers could converse through it, minimizing exposure and viral transmission.

"We're doing our best to finish this as soon as possible thinking of its urgency," said city councilor Macky Macapagal, chairperson of the committee of health and sanitation.

Macapagal elaborated that before they started the rehabilitation of the location, they invited medical experts from the Department of Health - Center for Health Development Northern Mindanao (DOH-CHDNM) for further recommendations, proper planning, and actions to improve the facility,

Aside from renovating the physical attributes of ICQTF, boxes of personal protective equipment (PPE) were already prepared. These PPEs are intended to be used by healthcare workers that will be looking after COVID-19 patients.

Glenn Carlos, GTLMH Health Management Coordinator, said more or less 20 nurses, at least 6 doctors, and some maintenance personnel will be deployed in the ICQTF to suffice the need of the facility.

"Currently, we already hired 15 nurses and 2 doctors. We are also fortunate enough to have 2 more volunteer doctors from a non-government organization who are all ready to serve here," Carlos shared.

Meanwhile, volunteer doctors Greg Lewis and Jeffrey Larson from International Mission, expressed their insights while making rounds in the area.

Larson commended the active response of the city government to fight against the COVID-19 crisis.

"I've been very impressed by the thoughtfulness of their approach, how their planning to manage patients - being able to keep both patients and staff healthy and safe," Larson remarked. (CLViajante / PIA ICIC)