CEBU, Philippines - Three more children died of dengue fever in the city the past few days, two of them at the controversial Cebu City Medical Center.
The dreaded mosquito-borne disease has now taken a total of 19 lives in Cebu City this year. Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, who expressed displeasure at the failure of the doctors at the CCMC to prevent patients from dying, said that the latest cases give him more reason to just close down the 48-year-old medical facility.
Durinda Macasocol, assistant chief of the Cebu City Epidemiology Statistics and Surveillance Unit, said the latest fatality was eight-year-old Mary Ellen Labra of Juana Osmeña Extention in barangay Camputhaw.
The child was brought to CCMC last August 17 after she experienced high fever. She died at dawn yesterday.
Three-year-old Umbaad Hansel of sitio Mahayahay, barangay Caretta also died of dengue in CCMC last August 18, a day after she was brought to the hospital by her parents due to high fever.
Macasocol said, six-year old Carl Osmeña of barangay Basak-San Nicolas also died of dengue last August 15, two days after he was brought by his parents to the Perpetual Succour Hospital.
It was not immediately known if the boy is a relative of the mayor, but Osmeña said he does not know the victim.
Macasocol said that the boy was a grandchild of former City Hall employee named Lory Osmeña.
Despite the number of deaths this year, it is still comparatively lower to the 37, who died for the same period last year.
Also, it was noted that for the same period last year there were 898 cases. This year there have been 676.
The barangays that have dengue casualties are Camputhaw, 3; Labangon, 3; Guadalupe, 2; Lorega, 2; Carreta, 2; and one each from Talamban, Basak-San Nicolas, Tisa, Mambaling, Pardo, Binaliw and Sudlon II.
The mayor however is not happy despite the drop in statistics and encouraged the city residents to take advantage of the free medical services.
Meanwhile, some parents of the dengue victims from barangay Tisa went to the City Hall yesterday to personally talk with Osmeña where they narrated their experience at the CCMC.
They gave mixed views when interviewed by the reporters in the presence of the mayor at the latter’s office.
“Maayo ra man nga moatiman ang mga doktor sa CCMC, wala ko’y ikasaway,” said Brigid Edilo whose daughter was confined at the CCMC last June 22.
But Teresita Presbitero complained because her eight-year old daughter who suffered high fever was just advised by a CCMC doctor to return home.
“Giingnan ra ko sa doktor nga trapohan lang pirmi og panapton nga binasa og tubig. Gidala nako og private doctor ug gipa-CBC, didto na nahibaw-i nga ubos na ang platelet mao nga gidala na lang nako sa private hospital.”
Nida Romina, whose daughter died last August 8, complained because she learned that her child had a dengue but in her death certificate it was stated that her death is caused by pneumonia.
There were some parents who strongly believed that CCMC really needs additional personnel, saying “Nakita namo nga nagtrabaho baya ang mga doktor ug nurse, pero gamay ra g’yod sila unya daghan ang pasyente.”
The mayor said he will not turn down requests to hire more personnel, but the problem is that he did not receive such request.
Osmeña, however, believes that hiring more personnel for the CCMC is not the real solution of the hospital’s poor performance, but the personnel should change their work attitude. — /NLQ (THE FREEMAN)