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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DOH places all hospitals under Code White for holidays

DOH places all hospitals under Code White for holidays

Published Dec 23, 2025 09:17 am  |  Updated Dec 23, 2025 01:15 pm
(MB FILE PHOTO)
(MB FILE PHOTO)
All hospitals nationwide have been placed under Code White until Jan. 6, 2025, as the Department of Health (DOH) braces for a possible increase in medical emergencies during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
The directive was announced by DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa on Monday, Dec. 22, following inspections at the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) and the Philippine Heart Center (PHC).
The two hospitals said they remain ready to accommodate all patients, including cases involving non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and non-renal conditions.
NKTI Executive Director Jose Dante Dator said the hospital's emergency room is ready to accept patients, as well as the expansion of its bed capacity to increase the number of patients they can receive during Christmas and the New Year.
The hospital is said to have previously recorded a high number of patients who suffered from difficulty breathing from Dec. 21, 2024 to Jan. 6, 2025.
At the same time, the PHC said it is closely monitoring the expected rise of stroke, acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and bronchial asthma cases from December up until January of next year.
"Inanunsyo rin ng PHC na Marso ngayong taon ay ginawaran ito ng Platinum Status bilang isang Acute Stroke Ready Hospital. Ibig sabihin, may kapasidad ang PHC na magbigay ng agarang diagnosis at paunang lunas sa mga pasyente ng stroke (The PHC also announced that in March this year, it was awarded the Platinum Status as an Acute Stroke Ready Hospital. This means that PHC has the capacity to provide immediate diagnosis and initial treatment to stroke patients)," the health department said.
"Nananatili ring bukas ang Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Services (BUCAS) Center ng PHC para magbigay ng agarang serbisyong medikal, lalo na sa mga biktima ng fireworks-related injuries, road crash injuries, at iba pang non-communicable diseases kabilang ang bronchial asthma na nakikitaan ng pagtaas sa kaso kapag Bagong Taon (The PHC's New Urgent Care and Ambulatory Services (BUCAS) Center also remains open to provide immediate medical services, especially to victims of fireworks-related injuries, road crash injuries, and other non-communicable diseases including bronchial asthma which sees an increase in cases during the New Year)," it added.
BUCAS is a DOH initiative providing accessible, immediate medical attention, including minor surgeries and laboratory services.
Warning against drunk driving
Also, the DOH chief cautioned motorists to avoid drunk driving as the agency recorded a surge in road crash patients from December 2024 to January 2025.
According to DOH data, a total of 11,146 road crash patients were brought to 210 hospitals and infirmaries during this time, with 1,173 of these cases caused by drunk driving. 
This is a sharp increase from the 5,785 patients tallied last October and November 2024.

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