MANILA, Philippines – St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City and Bonifacio Global City (BGC) are “no longer capable of accepting COVID-19 patients,” the hospitals’ management announced in a statement on Tuesday, March 24.
“Both hospitals have already exceeded maximum capacity and admitting more COVID-19 patients will seriously impact our ability to deliver the critical level of care and attention patients need at this time,” they said.
Hospital management said that they were also treating non-COVID patients whose health conditions cannot be compromised.
The hospitals are treating 48 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. They are also monitoring 139 patients under investigation (PUI), and 592 health care frontliners who are in quarantine.
Management clarified that it would continue providing outpatient COVID-19 testing for those who qualify, and their emergency rooms will be open 24/7 to accommodate outpatient medical services.
St. Lukes’ Medical Center Chief Medical Officer Benjamin Campomanes was among the heads of major hospitals who appealed to the government to designate dedicated COVID-19 hospitals.
"If we do not put our act together, the prospect of the healthcare delivery systems crashing down is imminent and real. It is already happening," read the statement, which was signed by the chiefs of 11 hospitals endorsed by the Philippine College of Physicians and the Philippine College of Surgeons.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Department of Health (DOH) recorded 552 confirmed cases of coronavirus, with 20 recoveries, and 35 deaths.
Globally, the number of cases has reached 341,300, with 81,093 cases in China and 59,138 cases in Italy, with the virus affecting 174 countries. – Rappler.com
