The 120 beds allocated for leptospirosis patients at San Lazaro Hospital are now fully occupied amid a surge in cases, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Edwin Mercado said on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

“Marami nga ‘yung nasa San Lazaro. In fact, ‘yung 120 beds na nakalaan sa leptospirosis ay puno na (There are many patients at San Lazaro. In fact, the 120 beds allocated for leptospirosis cases are now full),” Mercado said during a radio interview.

Mercado said the DOH has created an operations center under its Health Emergency Management Bureau to facilitate the transfer of patients with severe leptospirosis to hospitals equipped to provide specialized treatment.

“At kami nga ay nag-create na rin ng Health Emergency Management Bureau operations center para ‘yung mga mas malalalang sakit—‘yung mga nangangailangan ng hemodialysis at saka ng hemoperfusion—ay maipadala doon sa mga equipped na mga hospital (We have also created a Health Emergency Management Bureau operations center so that severe cases, particularly those requiring hemodialysis and hemoperfusion, can be transferred to properly equipped hospitals),” he said.

Mercado said the DOH is triaging patients to determine which cases should be referred to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), which is also experiencing capacity constraints.

On Sunday, Aug. 23, the NKTI announced that it was operating at full bed capacity amid a surge in leptospirosis cases.

“Nagti-triage kami, at inaalam namin kung ano ‘yung mga kasong dapat pumunta sa NKTI dahil nagpupunuan din ang NKTI (We are conducting triage and determining which cases should be sent to the NKTI because it is also filling up),” he said.

“Although ngayong umaga, kausap ko si Dr. Dante Dator, at gagawa sila ng paraan kung papaano ilipat ‘yung mga nag-stabilize na dahil nandoon nga ‘yung mga modernong gamit para sa hemoperfusion (Although this morning, I spoke with Dr. Dante Dator, and they will find a way to transfer patients who have already stabilized because the modern equipment for hemoperfusion is there),” he added.

According to Mercado, the DOH has yet to determine the number of deaths from leptospirosis.

“So tungkol sa mortality, kinakalap pa namin ang mga datos. Ngayong hapon ay magkakaroon ng command meeting, at titipunin ko ang mga hospital dito sa affected areas—Cordillera Administrative Region, Region I, II, III, NCR, at Region IV (Regarding mortality, we are still gathering the data. This afternoon, we will hold a command meeting, and I will convene the hospitals in the affected areas—the Cordillera Administrative Region, Regions I, II, III, NCR, and Region IV),” he said.

“Wala pa po akong tala nung actual mortality, pero kapag mayroon na po, bibigyan namin kayo ng datos (I do not yet have the actual mortality figures, but once they become available, we will provide you with the data),” he added.

Meanwhile, the DOH chief said the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) has increased its benefit coverage for leptospirosis patients.

“Nagtaas tayo ng ating coverage sa leptospirosis sa PhilHealth. Iyong dating P20,000, ngayon kapag mga mild cases ay aabot na ng P68,000. At doon naman sa mga medyo moderate at severe ay umaabot na ng P412,000 to P414,000 (We increased PhilHealth’s coverage for leptospirosis. From the previous P20,000, coverage for mild cases can now reach P68,000, while coverage for moderate and severe cases ranges from P412,000 to P414,000),” Mercado said.

“Basta po sila ay pumasok sa mga ward or basic accommodation, dapat ay wala na pong binabayaran. Iyon po ang ating agreement sa ating private hospitals (As long as they are admitted to wards or basic accommodations, they should no longer have to pay anything. That is our agreement with private hospitals),” he added.

Earlier, the DOH reported that 4,285 leptospirosis cases had been recorded nationwide as of Aug. 22.

The agency noted that the figure was 37 percent lower than the 6,839 cases logged during the same period last year.

The highest numbers of cases were reported in the National Capital Region and Regions II and III, according to the DOH.

The agency warned that more cases could emerge in the coming days, given the five- to 15-day incubation period of leptospirosis.