Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and SanitariumFacility

The Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital, formerly known as Central Luzon Sanitarium, was established in 1940, to accommodate patients with Hansen's Disease in the entire Luzon region in the Philippines. In a span of a few weeks, the Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital converted its entire facility into an exclusive COVID treatment center. Despite initial confusion and lack of support, the hospital management exhausted all the means and resources at its disposal to jumpstart its transformation. All of its stakeholders and staff worked cohesively to convert the hospital’s operations, and it is now equipped with 400 beds capable of treating moderate and severe cases of COVID. To address the extremely long turnaround times of COVID test results, the hospital set up its own molecular laboratory capable of conducting polymerase chain reaction tests. This cut down the turnaround time for results to just 48 hours, allowing faster contact tracing and reducing the community’s COVID transmission rate. Moreover, the institution has created work schemes that enable its staff to protect themselves while in the line of duty. A schedule of duty was developed to enable healthcare workers to protect themselves and their loved ones. Healthcare workers render 12-hour shifts for seven straight days, and are provided with food and accommodation at the hospital. After they have completed their tour of duty, they are sent to a hospital-designated quarantine facility where they are tested and monitored. After completing the 14-day quarantine period, the staff are sent home to enjoy seven off-duty days with their families.