An additional 164 nurses were deployed to private and public hospitals in Cebu to augment the existing healthcare workers manning coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) beds, the Department of Health (DOH) in Region 7 on Tuesday said.

In a statement, DOH-7 regional director Dr. Jaime Bernadas said the deployment of more nurses to Cebu hospitals is part of the agency’s commitment to continue providing for medical personnel in different coronavirus-dedicated facilities to bring down Covid-19 cases.

Additional nurses were also deployed to the Cebu City Emergency Operations Center (EOC).

Of this number, 40 were assigned to Chong Hua Hospital, 28 to Cebu Doctors University Hospital, 20 to Cebu City EOC, 14 to Perpetual Succor Hospital, and 11 to Saint Vincent General Hospital.

UC Medical Center and Visayas Community Medical Center got 10 nurses each.

The DOH-7 also deployed nurses to ACE Medical Center-Cebu (9), ARC Hospital (7), Cebu Velez General Hospital (5), Cebu South General Hospital (4), Lapu-Lapu City Hospital (4), and Cebu North General Hospital (2).

Meanwhile, DOH 7 has also deployed an additional 150 nurses to Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center from July to August 2021.

These nurses were hired under the Emergency Hiring of Health Personnel for Covid-19 Response when Cebu experienced a spike of Covid-19 cases and confirmed cases of the Delta variant.

Apart from nurses, the DOH-7 is also accepting applicants for doctors, medical technologists, and other support personnel.

Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino, head of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, commended the effort of the DOH-7 in augmenting the healthcare personnel needs in Central Visayas hospitals following the increase in Covid-19 cases in mid-August.

“Now that we have more doctors in the hospitals, our Covid-19 patients are assured of more responsive treatment. The national government exerts all efforts to augment existing medical front-liners who are already exhausted and some get sick given the more than one year in the battle against Covid-19,” Dino said in a message to the Philippine News Agency.

He urged those who have not contracted the coronavirus to seize the opportunity that Cebu’s status will be under general community quarantine starting Wednesday and be vaccinated to reach the 70 percent population protection. (PNA)