Two overseas foreign workers (OFW) from West Africa caused panic among residents in Olongapo City, Zambales when they reported having symptoms associated with Ebola.
To the shock of the residents, the two OFWs were turned away by a government hospital for allegedly exhibiting symptoms of the dreaded disease.
Reports said that the OFWs reportedly came from West Africa and apparently failed to undergo Ebola quarantine protocol.
The workers checked in at the James Gordon Memorial Hospital last Friday, but were denied admission and told to go to Manila for observation.
Reports said the two overseas foreign workers were from Sierra Leone – one of the three of the most badly affected countries in the current outbreak.
The two were forced to refuse admission due to lack of facilities, citing comment from Olongapo City Mayor Rolen Paulino that he made the call to refuse quarantine of the two OFWs because of the danger it poses to the hospital staff and patients.
“I don’t mind if they get angry at me for refusing them. I would rather think about the safety of my city and my constituents,” Paulino stressed, newspaper Tempo reported.
As of Dec. 10, the World Health Organizatin (WHO) reported that the Ebola toll has reached 6,583 in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
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