The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) announced on Monday, August 4, that its Emergency Room (ER) has exceeded capacity due to a surge in patient volume, prompting the Department of Health (DOH) to activate 20 public hospitals and four government-owned specialty centers in the metropolis to receive overflow cases.

“Nais naming ipaalam sa inyo na ang aming Emergency Room ay kasalukuyang higit na sa kapasidad dahil sa mataas na bilang ng mga pasyenteng dumarating (We wish to inform you that our Emergency Room is currently over capacity due to the high number of incoming patients),” PGH said in a public advisory posted on its official Facebook page.

“Sa ngayon, hinihikayat namin kayong maghanap muna ng ibang ospital na maaaring magbigay ng agarang serbisyo sa inyo (At this time, we encourage you to seek care from other hospitals that can provide immediate medical attention),” it added.

PGH stressed that its ER remains open only for patients in critical condition.

According to PGH spokesperson Dr. Jonas Del Rosario, the surge in patients was triggered by weather-related illnesses following several days of heavy rain and flooding in Metro Manila.

“Nagkaroon tayo ng ilang araw na masungit ang panahon, umuulan, bumabagyo. Syempre, sa Maynila bumaha, so may mga pasyente kami na nagka-leptospirosis, marami pa rin sila diyan (We had several days of bad weather, with rain and storms. Naturally, Manila experienced flooding, and we now have patients with leptospirosis—there are still many of them),” he said in a television interview.

“Marami ho nagkaroon ng lower respiratory tract infection, pneumonia, ang sabi sa akin ng ER doctors, marami rin ho ang may sepsis (Many had lower respiratory tract infections, pneumonia, and according to the ER doctors, a lot also have sepsis),” he went on.

Del Rosario said the rise in cases was abrupt, noting that in just a few days, the volume of patients significantly increased.

“As of the last census, marami pong mga pasyente ang nakatayo, marami po ay nag-sha-share ng stretcher (As of the last census, many patients were standing, and many were sharing stretchers),” he said.

In response, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said DOH-run and GOCC hospitals in the National Capital Region are ready to assist.

“Bukas at handa ang mga DOH hospital pati na rin ang apat na GOCC hospitals para tanggapin ang mga pasyenteng hindi muna matatanggap sa UP-PGH dahil sa panandaliang pagkapuno ng ER nito (DOH hospitals, along with four GOCC hospitals, are open and ready to receive patients who cannot be accommodated at UP-PGH for the time being),” he said.

“Inaabisuhan po ang lahat ng mga ospital, klinika, ambulansya at doktor na iwasan munang magdala ng bagong pasyente sa UP-PGH, at sa mga DOH hospital muna dalhin (All hospitals, clinics, ambulance units, and doctors are advised to temporarily avoid bringing new patients to PGH and redirect them to DOH hospitals instead),” he added.

Hospitals accepting redirected patients include:

• Caloocan: Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium

• Las Piñas: Las Piñas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center

• Malabon: San Lorenzo Ruiz General Hospital

• Mandaluyong: National Center for Mental Health

• Manila: Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, San Lazaro Hospital, Tondo Medical Center

• Marikina: Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center

• Muntinlupa: Research Institute for Tropical Medicine

• Pasig: Rizal Medical Center

• Quezon City: East Avenue Medical Center, National Children’s Hospital, Philippine Orthopedic Center, Quirino Memorial Medical Center

• Valenzuela: Valenzuela Medical Center

• Lung Center of the Philippines

• National Kidney and Transplant Institute

• Philippine Heart Center

• Philippine Children’s Medical Center

Before transporting patients, health personnel are advised to coordinate with the DOH Metro Manila Center for Health Development (MM CHD) via these numbers: 0956-175-3710 or 0920-251-1800.

Meanwhile, Dr. Jose Rene De Grano, president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc. (PHAPI), said the spike in illnesses could be seasonal, with more cases expected in the coming days.

“Pero sa NCR po posible pong dumarami sila dahil seasonal po iyan (leptospirosis, pneumonia), right now, ‘yung third quarter po talagang madami po ‘yan (It’s possible that cases are increasing in NCR because those illnesses are seasonal. The third quarter usually sees a spike),” he said in a radio interview.

“Ine-expect naming within this week, ngayon magkalalabasan ang mga sakit na ‘yan, kasi ito po ang after around two weeks after tayo ay isang linggong bahain (We expect those illnesses to start showing up this week, as it’s been around two weeks since that week-long flooding).”

De Grano said PHAPI has yet to receive reports of overcrowded emergency rooms in private hospitals, especially in the provinces.