CCMC recalls deployed nurses

CEBU, Philippines- The Cebu City Medical Center has recalled the 26 nurses it detailed at the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center after 23 of its nursing personnel resigned.

Dr. Gloria Duterte, CCMC hospital chief, confirmed the recall while acknowledging that the city-run hospital serves as a training ground for nurses and doctors who want experience for employment abroad.

"Daghan man ang ni-resign to work abroad so we need to replace them.  Gi-anticipate naman ni namo nga panghitabo kay bisan sa una mao man pud ni ang nahitabo, mao nga atong gikuha ang 23 ka nurses nga na-detailed sa VSMMC sukad niadtong January," Duterte said.

She clarified, nevertheless, that the resignation of the 23 nurses did not hamper CCMC's operations.

The 26 nurses who were part of the city's deployment program resumed duty at CCMC Friday last week, Duterte said.

CCMC deployed over a hundred of nursing practitioners to VSMMC and the St. Anthony Mother and Child Hospital after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake in October last year. At least 20 were also deployed to the Guba Emergency Hospital, the community hospital in the mountain barangay of Guba.

The earthquake damaged the old CCMC building badly that the structure had to be declared unfit for occupation.

Duterte said VSMMC and St. Anthony Mother and Child Hospital helped CCMC by accommodating patients - 150 beds at VSMMC and 50 beds at Saint Anthony Mother and Child.

Duterte disclosed that CCMC will defer the hiring of employees, considering the hospital's limited admission.

At present, while CCMC is staying at the building of the Bureau of Fire Protection, it has a 108-bed capacity with 159 nurses, seven resident doctors, and 34 training resident physicians.  —/JMO) (FREEMAN)