In covid-19 facilities: Naga to install high flow oxygen machines
By Jason B. Neola
The Naga City government is in the process of procuring eight more units of high-flow oxygen machines to augment the 12 similar devices purchased earlier by the city for its Covid-19 treatment facilities.
The procurement of the machines was compelled by the escalating number of Covid-19 patients who need to undergo high-flow oxygen therapy (HFOT) because of severe conditions they are experiencing.
HFOT is a form of respiratory support where oxygen, often in conjunction with compressed air and humidification, is delivered to a patient at rates of flow higher than that delivered traditionally in oxygen therapy.
The city government spent P2.4 million for the 12 units of the medical apparatus costing P200,000 each. These units to be purchased aside from the existing eight units will be set up at the treatment and isolation facilities in Liboton campus of the Camarines Sur National High School, Our Lady of Lourdes Infirmary in Barangay Carolina, and Sta. Cruz National High School in Barangay Sta. Cruz.
OXYGEN MACHINES. Mayor Legacion (foreground) and Dr. Joseph Sanchez (fourth from left), head of the medical and facilities cluster of Health Emergency Response Task Force, inspect the 12 units of high-flow oxygen machines delivered to the city last week. JBN/RAMIL HERRERA/CEPPIO
Mayor Nelson Legacion thanked Tzu Chi Philippines, an international non-profit charity organization, for donating to the Naga City Hospital one unit of high-flow oxygen machine. The donation was coordinated thru the Liberty Commercial Center (LCC).
Meanwhile, the Health Facilities and Services Regulatory Bureau of the Department of Health has finally granted the Naga City Hospital Molecular Laboratory a license to operate.
The facility started to process swab samples on Wednesday, Oct. 13, after a simple blessing and inauguration ceremony was conducted, which was attended by Legacion, Vice Mayor Cecilia “Nene” de Asis, Rep. Gabriel Bordado, and a representative from the Office of the Vice President.
With the operations of its own molecular lab, the city government expects faster processing of swab samples up to 200 daily.
The P14-million Covid-19 testing laboratory is equipped with RT PCR machine, RNA Ext machine, Biosafety Cabinet Class II, PCR cabinet, laminar flow Cabinet, laboratory refrigerators (two 2-8 degrees Celsius); laboratory freezers (two -20 degrees Celsius); -80 degrees Celsius (ULF); Autoclave; 3 Vortex mixers; cold rock; heating block; 6 microcentrifuges; 16 pcs of volume pipets of various types, and 5 pcs of linear stands.