LAGUNA, Philippines – Three infants inside Dr. Jose P. Rizal Memorial District Hospital in Calamba are placed under improvised oxygen hoods made from plastic water containers.

The halved one-gallon plastic containers are attached to an oxygen hose. Adhesive tape covers the edges of the container to protect the babies’ sensitive skin.

According to the hospital’s OIC Dr. Ignacia Flores, the patients are in dire need of oxygen due to their health conditions.

One of them, named Baby Ellaine, is suffering from severe dehydration and acute gastroenteritis while another baby, named Baby Camille, has pneumonia.

Baby Angel, meanwhile, is diagnosed with multiple congenital anomaliex.

“Mas maganda iyan at iyan ang kailangan talaga kasi kung nasal cannula ang ikakabit, mas hindi effective yun sa bata kasi baby nga sila (It’s better that way and it’s what they really need because if we use nasal cannula it wouldn’t be as effective because they are still babies),” Dr. Flores said.

“Magiging iritable ang baby. Ang tendency niyan maglilikot. Matatanggal din itong cannula (na) ito, (The baby would be irritable and restless. The cannula will only get dislodged ),” she added.

The parents did not oppose such procedure though it drew criticisms when the photos went viral on social media.

“Nakatulong naman po kasi hanggang ngayon buhay pa ang anak ko, (It seems to have helped because my baby is still alive),” said Angel’s mother Marjorie Canaco.

“Kasi kapag nangingitim na si baby, itataas lang ito para lumakas (at) nawawala na yung pangingitim niya, (When my baby turns blue, I will just lift [this tube] and her color returns to normal),” she added.

“Tulong na rin ito sa amin. Pagdating namin dito hindi siya makahinga kaya agad siyang nilagyan ng oxygen, (This helps us a lot. When we arrived here, she couldn’t breathe. They immediately attached this oxygen),” said Ellaine’s mother Ligaya Dolpo.

Flores argued that the hospital couldn’t reject the patients so they needed to find ways instead of driving them away.

“Actually, hindi na nagagamit din ang conventional kasi mas gusto [nila] itong improvised at mas mabilis nagagawa agad, (Actually, they don’t want the conventional (oxygen) and prefer the improvised which is faster to make),” Dr. Flore said.

” As good as a conventional oxygen hood ang effect niyan. Nothing to worry,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Laguna Provincial Government in defense said the rise in cases of dengue in the province prompted them to improvise due to shortage in supply of oxygen hoods.

“Ang oxygen hood kasi ay kung bakit nagkaubusan because of the outbreak, (There has been a shortage of oxygen hoods because of the (dengue) outbreak),” explained Christopher Sanji of Laguna Government PIO.

“Ngayon lang nangyari ito sa probinsiya (This is the first time that this happened in the province),” Sanji added.

JP Rizal Hospital in Calamba is just one of the nine district hospitals that below average households from San Pedro to Bae in Laguna run to first for their medical concerns. – MNP (with details from Sherwin Culubong)

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