To address the shortage of beds due to occupancy surge after hearing reports of people forced to sleep outside while receiving treatment on ground, Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has deployed emergency tents at the National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI) in Quezon City.
“Ang mga pasyente at mga bantay nila, kung saan-saan na nakapwesto at natutulog, kakahintay na makapasok sa mga ospital (Patients and their guardians are stationed everywhere and sleeping while waiting when they will be admitted to the hospital),”PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Senator Richard Gordon in a statement issued Saturday, April 24.
After hearing about the situation in NKTI, Gordon immediately ordered the deployment of emergency tents at the hospital in addition to the 100 bed capacity emergency field hospital at the Lung Center of the Philippines.
As of April 23, PRC noted that “hospitals in Metro Manila have already exceeded the critical level of 70 percent capacity for COVID-positive patients as the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to rise in the National Capital Region.” PRC is expected to deploy a 20-bed capacity emergency tents with basic ward facilities to serve as an emergency room extension for NKTI to treat more patients that will not be accommodated inside the hospital premises.
“Hindi natin hahayaang dumami pa ang Pilipinong nasasawi nang hindi man lang naaadmit sa ospital at nabibigyang ng atensyong medikal (We will not allow the number of Filipino deaths to increase without even being admitted to the hospital and given medical attention), Gordon said. “Basta’t sama-sama, malalabanan natin ang COVID-19 (As long as we work together, we can fight COVID-19,” he ended.