CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Packets of medicines and vitamins for those exhibiting Covid-19 symptoms but could not as yet be admitted to health facilities make up the latest initiative of the Pampanga provincial government in its response to the pandemic.
Dubbed “Gamot sa Barangay para sa mga may Sintomas ng Covid-19,” the program aims to provide emergency aid to patients while awaiting admission to hospitals.
“Hindi po ito solusyon para hindi na kayo magpa-ospital,” Gov. Dennis “Delta” Pineda clarified. “Ito po ay para may naiinom na kayong gamot habang nasa bahay pa kayo at naghihintay ng masusing pagsusuri. Nililinaw ko lang po, kailangan pa rin kayong magpa-ospital.”
Dr. Fleur-De-Lis M. Zapanta, chief of the Diosdado P. Macapagal Memorial Provincial Hospital, said the program is a brainchild of Pineda himself as an emergency measure “to save lives” and “prescribed by a pulmonologist.”
The medicine packets consist of cefuroxime (antibiotic), prednisone (anti-inflammatory), azithromycin (antibiotic), melatonin (sleep hormone), paracetamol (pain reliever), and vitamins D3 and C with zinc.
Initial supply targets two percent of the population of barangays, available to those 15 years old and above showing symptoms of the coronavirus disease. Each packet is prescribed for seven days.
Zapanta said the packets will be dispensed by a barangay health worker after the Covid-19-positive person had submitted the result of an antigen or RT-PCR test to the barangay captain and has undergone an assessment by a health professional.
At the launch of the program over the weekend, 1,265 packets were distributed to barangays in Mabalacat City and 517 to Magalang.
Meanwhile, as of Aug. 23, Pampanga’s hospital bed capacity for Covid-19 patients has reached the “high risk” of 85 percent among 47 health facilities, according to data from the Department of Health. Only 211 of the 1,419 beds dedicated to Covid-19 patients remained available. With Pampanga PIO
