Date : May 2, 2003
To : MDH Personnel
From : Assistant Hospital Director
What are the policies and
procedures on a MDH employees who have been exposed to persons and places with
possible SARS outside MDH and who, under the present circumstances, have the
potential threat of being discriminated, ostracized, and stigmatized by
co-employees?
Definition of Terms:
- A
persons with possible SARS include SARS suspect, probable SARS, and
confirmed SARS based on DOH-WHO case definition.
Case
Definition:
- Patients under surveillance for SARS-
patients with history of travel to high risk places and / or exposure to
persons with possible SARS but without symptoms.
- SARS suspect patients-patients with
history of travel to high risk places and /or exposure to persons with
possible SARS but with symptoms of high fever, respiratory syndrome, dry
cough.
- Probable SARS patients- patients
described under SARS suspect patients with laboratory findings and
radiographic evidence of infiltrates consistent with pneumonia or
respiratory distress syndrome on chest X-ray that increase the suspicion
of SARS.
- Confirmed SARS patients- patients with
a positive confirmatory tests of SARS
- Places with possible SARS include RITM,
San Lazaro Hospital, and other hospital known to have admitted SARS
patients and communities quarantined by DOH for SARS – related reasons.
Policies
and Procedures:
- All MDH employees who have been
exposed to persons and places with possible SARS outside MDH shall report
the exposure to the Industrial Medical Services Department (IMSD) through
Phone. IMSD has utilized the screening questionnaire.
- The IMSD physician, after evaluation
and with concurrence of an MDH Consultant on SARS (namely: Dr. Melecia A.
Velmonte and Dr.. Cecilia Montalban) , shall decide and certify whether
the concerned MDH employees shall be quarantined at home, allowed to
report to work, or be confined in a DOH designated SARS referral
hospital.
- MDH employees prescribed quarantine at
home or admitted to a DOH designated SARS center shall file a vacation
and or sick leave. If all sick leave credits have been consumed, the
leave can be applied with SSS as sickness Benefit.
- A certification of fitness to report
for work from IMSD physician and MDH consultant on SARS is required for
all MDH employees exposed to person and places with possible SARS outside
MDH before they can report for work. A copy of the certification shall be
submitted to Human Resource department and the Department head. All
co-employees in the hospital and department shall respect the
certification. Such certification shall be used to deter discrimination,
ostracism, and stigmatization of the concerned employees. All acts and
behavior of discrimination, ostracism, and stigmatization in the presence
of such certification are not allowed and will be given sanctions by the
Human Resource Department and the Hospital Disciplinary Action Committee.
For
strict implementation. Thank you for your cooperation
RITA WANNIGER
Assistant Hospital Director