In a bid to strengthen its fight against the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the city, the local government of Muntinlupa has drafted nurses assigned in public schools to serve as additional medical personnel in local quarantine control points.
Muntinlupa City Health Office acting chief Dr. Manuel Casador Jr. said 27 city-paid school nurses have been assigned to three checkpoints in the city to help implement quarantine control measures including checking of temperature, survey of travel history and symptoms, among others.
“We have deployed our school nurses to augment the staff from the City Health Office and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office stationed in San Pedro –Muntinlupa boundary, Commerce Avenue checkpoint, and Victoria Homes checkpoint to ensure that no individuals suspected to have contracted with the virus can enter the city,” Casador said.
The local health officer added that isolation rooms have been installed in quarantine control points to accommodate individuals manifesting symptoms and high temperature for further assessment.
A field hospital has been constructed in Ospital ng Muntinlupa to treat patients with COVID-19 symptoms. Isolation areas in barangays are also in place for residents suspected to have contracted with the virus for monitoring by the local health office.
Barangay health workers and physicians in barangay health centers are on high alert against sustained local transmission in the communities. Health personnel in the barangay daily monitors reported cases of persons under monitoring and patients under investigation. PUMs and PUIs in the communities with underlying conditions are also given vitamins and medicines.
According to the Muntinlupa City Health Office, there are currently two city residents under the care of two community isolation areas in Barangay Tunasan and Sucat for monitoring.
As of March 23, the Muntinlupa CHO recorded 145 Persons Under Monitoring (PUM), 69 Persons Under Investigation (PUI), and six confirmed cases in the city.
Recently, the local government also launched the Virtual Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Team on Facebook to provide psychological counseling to city residents amid the COVID-19 crisis.
To date, the virtual psychosocial team has catered to 168 city residents. The project is facilitated by the City Health Office, Social Service Department, and Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office.
Muntinlupa LGU has also distributed initial relief packs to 3,940 families in five barangays in the city. Another 5,000 grocery packs will be released to different barangays in the coming week.
Mayor Jaime Fresnedi assured the public that the City Government has an adequate supply of basic commodities for distribution to indigent residents and daily earners affected by the disruption of work.
Fresnedi added that the local government continuous to implement initiatives to help contain the spread of and encouraged the public to stay at home during the health emergency.