Twenty hospitals in Metro Manila were already at the critical level in terms of bed occupancy amid the rise of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases, the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI) said on Wednesday, March 17.
“In the National Capital Region, at least 20 hospitals, these are big hospitals, who are already at the critical level of occupancy. That means, their occupancy rate is more than 85 percent,” said PHAPI President Dr. Jose De Grano in an online forum.
Meanwhile, some private hospitals were at “high-risk” level, said De Grano.
“We have 23 facilities that are now at the high-risk level. It means, their occupancy rate is from 70 to 85 percent,” he noted.
In a radio interview on Wednesday, Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said the government’s One Hospital Command has been receiving a lot of calls from individuals seeking to be referred to a hospital.
“Kung nangangailangan sila ng private hospitals, kung puno na sa area na gusto nila, pinapadala namin sa Region 3 or 4. Ganoon na ang nangyayari lalo na sa mga pribado, kailangan talagang i-transport sila sa areas na may bakante (If they need a private hospital, but it is fully occupied, we send them to Region 3 or 4. That’s what’s happening, especially in private hospitals. We need to transport them to facilities with vacancies),” said Vega in an interview over DZBB.
Vega noted that the healthcare utilization rate in the whole of NCR was at “moderate risk.”
The DOH repeatedly said that strict compliance to minimum health standards, aggressive contact tracing, isolation, and the implementation of localized lockdowns will help in reducing the number of new COVID-19 cases.