NAGA CITY, Philippines — The City Government of Naga has immediately taken proactive measures following reports of increasing dengue cases in the city, including six deaths traced to the dengue virus.
Among the measures being pursued by Mayor Leni Robredo and the city government’s policymakers to prevent further deaths and address the rising number of cases is the establishment of four additional medical wards to augment the bed capacity of the Naga City General Hospital (NCGH) for dengue patients, as well as the procurement of appropriate medical equipment.
The city government also plans to hire additional doctors, nurses, medical technologists, and other medical personnel needed by the NCGH to further strengthen its capacity to provide medical services.
Most of the dengue patients being treated in the city are minors, prompting the mayor to call on the entire community to take part in a massive clean-up drive, particularly in eliminating mosquito breeding grounds in homes, schools, workplaces, and communities.
Among the barangays reporting high numbers of dengue patients are Cararayan, Concepcion Pequeña, and Carolina.
Robredo has likewise directed the city’s community-based primary healthcare facilities to extend medical services to dengue patients and help ease the demand on the NCGH. These include the Our Lady of Lourdes Infirmary, City Health Office 1, City Health Office 2, and the Super Health Center.
The mayor has also suggested to the Department of Education (DepEd) that schools encourage or allow students to wear what she described as a “dengue uniform”—clothing that provides greater coverage of the body—to help protect students from mosquito bites. The use of mosquito repellents was likewise suggested as an additional preventive measure.
During the meeting of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC), chaired by Mayor Robredo, on September 7, the council endorsed for appropriate action by the Sangguniang Panlungsod the proposed declaration of a state of calamity due to a health emergency.
Responding promptly, the Sangguniang Panlungsod, through a joint and collective motion, today, September 8, approved the declaration of a state of calamity due to a health emergency.
The declaration will allow the city government to access available funds that can be used to support measures to contain the spread of dengue and further strengthen hospital services, including check-ups, consultations, admission, treatment, and other medical services for patients.
Among the factors cited in the declaration were the presence of dengue cases in at least five barangays, the increasing number of dengue patients being handled by the city hospital, the strain on its existing facilities, and the six reported deaths attributed to the dengue virus.
The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) is now working on the establishment of an Incident Management Team (IMT) to ensure seamless coordination among concerned offices and agencies. The setup will be patterned after the city’s COVID-19 response, adopting a whole-of-government approach in which all concerned government instrumentalities can work together to comprehensively address the dengue situation.
The city government emphasized that the measures are part of a proactive and coordinated response to the rising dengue cases, combining strengthened hospital capacity and community-based healthcare services with aggressive prevention efforts to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds and protect residents, particularly children, from dengue. I via Jason B. Neola, CMO-Public Information Division head
