City sets protocols on pregnant COVID patients

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas issued Executive Order No. 60 on Friday to set the protocols and facilities for pregnant women who are either confirmed or suspected COVID-19 cases.

The EO was issued following claims of a mother that medical personnel of St. Therese Hospital, the designated isolation facility for COVID cases, neglected her when she suddenly went into labor.

The city government said the hospital was not meant to cater to expecting mothers, thus the impression that the woman was neglected.

EO 160 designates Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facilities (TTMF) or Birthing Facilities (BF) for pregnant women in Iloilo City.

Section 2 of the order mandates that district medical officers of the Iloilo City Health Office (CHO) shall use the following criteria as a decision tool prior to indorsing patients.

Confirmed COVID-19 cases may be admitted to the TTMF provided they are:

-Asymptomatic or with mild symptoms;

-No Co-morbidities such as diabetes, uncontrolled hypertensive, debilitating illness, pregnancy and others;

-Suspect COVID-19 case and high-risk close contact maybe admitted at a separate designated quarantine facility.

The criteria of Patients for Step-Down Care are:

-Admitted, probable, and confirmed COVID-19 positive patients who meet all of the following criteria: clinically recovered or stable (with resolution of symptoms); completed the 14-day quarantine protocol or waiting for a repeat test.

The resolution of symptoms may include the following:

-The body temperature returns to normal after 3 days;

-Respiratory symptoms have improved significantly;

-Chest radiograph shows significant improvement.

The EO also set guidelines for the discharge of patients or referral to TTMFs as step down facilities:

-The Attending Physician shall assess the medical status of the patient referred to TTMF as step down facility and decide on the patient’s disposition;

-Patients may be discharged from the step-down care facility upon clearance by the attending physician subject to criteria consistent with endorsed clinical practice guidelines;

-Transfer of recovered patients to the community shall be facilitated by the step down care facility in coordination with the appropriate barangay and District Health Center.

As to the discharge of patients admitted directly to TTMF, the Quarantine Facility Physician shall assess the medical status of the patients admitted directly to TTMF and decide on the patient’s disposition.

The District Medical Officers of the Iloilo City Health Office shall also endorse all suspected COVID-19 patients and confirmed COVID-19 patients, who are pregnant women, to the La Paz Maternity and Reproductive Center for thorough medical evaluation and assessment before endorsing to the designated facilities.

One of these facilities are the La Paz Maternity and Reproductive Center where its ground floor shall serve as the birthing facility (BF) if the patient is suspected of COVID-19 or is confirmed COVID-19 positive as per RT-PCR test result, and is pregnant, but does not have any other comorbidity or complications affecting labor and birthing.

The second floor shall serve as the temporary treatment and monitoring facility (TTMF) if the patient is suspected of COVID-19 or is confirmed COVID-19 positive as per Reverse Transcription Polymerise Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test result, and is pregnant, but does not have any other comorbidity or complications affecting labor and birthing;

Another designated facility is the Calumpang Lying-In clinic in Molo.

Expecting mothers can also be admitted to hospitals and other health care facilities.

If the pregnant patient has any comorbidity or complication affecting labor and birthing, whether a suspected or confirmed COVID-19 case as per RT-PCR test result, then she shall be immediately referred to the nearest hospital or medical facility for appropriate medical action.

But she must comply with existing COVID-19 local health protocols of Iloilo City, execute an undertaking required by the Iloilo City Government, and subject herself to medical monitoring by a physician of her choice

The same rules apply to pregnant women, whether suspected, confirmed, or negative for COVID-19, who want to go to a hospital of her choice.