The emergency room (ER) of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) is operating at 200-percent over capacity, handling patients suffering from illnesses not related to COVID-19.
PGH spokesperson Jonas del Rosario, in an ABS-CBN report, urged the public to try visiting other local hospitals first as there was a “bottleneck” in their ward admissions due to more patients coming in.
The PGH ER only has a regular capacity of 70 patients but caters to 120 to 150 patients daily, Del Rosario said.
“Many patients probably did not see their doctors in a long time and only had the chance now to go to the hospital. Some of them have neglected their health, that’s why sometimes when they get to the hospital, their situation is severe,” del Rosario said, adding that “the number of patients has affected our patient care. Some of our patients lie on the floor because we no longer have a stretcher, a wheelchair, or a bed. It’s not an ideal situation.
Del Rosario disclosed that patients currently in the PGH ER with non-COVID illnesses include those with pneumonia, heart disease, lung disease, diabetes with complications, and those in need of dialysis, among others.
Other hospitals are urged to coordinate first with PGH before sending their patients, he added.