THE Philippine General Hospital (PGH) has urged the public to temporarily seek other medical facilities after its emergency room exceeded capacity due to a sudden surge in patients, many of whom are suffering from leptospirosis and pneumonia.
In an advisory posted on its official Facebook page, PGH said:.“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. Sa ngayon, hinihikayat namin kayong maghanap muna ng ibang ospital na maaaring magbigay ng agarang serbisyo sa inyo. Nananatiling bukas ang emergency room namin para sa mga pasyenteng nasa kritikal na kalagayan. Maraming salamat po!”
The emergency room, designed to handle only 75 patients, is now attending to at least 300, an overload of 400 percent, according to reports.
In an interview, PGH spokesperson Dr. Jonas Del Rosario said the spike in ER admissions followed days of heavy rain and flooding.
“Biglang dumami ang bilang ng mga pasyente. Marami na ang nakatayo. Ang iba ay sa stretcher na lang pinakakasya,” he said.
Outside the ER, dozens more continue to wait, hoping they can still be admitted and receive medical attention.
As of now, the hospital is limiting admissions to patients with life-threatening conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, or those requiring emergency surgery.
Del Rosario said leptospirosis and pneumonia cases are largely behind the surge. Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection commonly contracted through floodwater contaminated by rat urine, while pneumonia causes inflammation in the lungs’ air sacs, making it difficult to breathe. Some patients are also being treated for sepsis, a severe and life-threatening reaction to infection.
Apart from the spike in patients, PGH is also dealing with a shortage of beds and oxygen ports. Hallways are now being used as makeshift wards, according to Del Rosario.
Meanwhile, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Ted Herbosa said government-run hospitals under the DOH and several Government-Owned or Controlled Corporation (GOCC) hospitals in Metro Manila are ready to take in PGH overflow cases.
“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,” Herbosa 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,” he added.
The following DOH and GOCC hospitals may accommodate patients:
DOH hospitals:
Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium (Caloocan)
Las Piñas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center (Las Piñas)
San Lorenzo Ruiz General Hospital (Malabon)
National Center for Mental Health (Mandaluyong)
Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, San Lazaro Hospital, Tondo Medical Center (Manila)
Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center (Marikina)
Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (Muntinlupa)
Rizal Medical Center (Pasig)
East Avenue Medical Center, National Children’s Hospital, Philippine Orthopedic Center, Quirino Memorial Medical Center (Quezon City)
Valenzuela Medical Center (Valenzuela)
GOCC hospitals (Quezon City):
Lung Center of the Philippines
National Kidney and Transplant Institute
Philippine Heart Center
Philippine Children’s Medical Center
