MANILA, Philippines – More patients of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) preferred to stay and recover in private hospitals, according to the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPI). 

This is the reason why most private hospitals are close to full capacity. 

In an interview, PHAPI President Dr. Rustico Carpio said the current number of cases in private hospitals are the same as those in the early phase of the outbreak. 

Carpio, however, assured that although COVID-19 facilities in the National Capital Region (NCR) are now in the critical phase, hospitals in the region are equipped and ready to address the situation. 

On Monday (July 13), several major hospitals in Metro Manila have declared full capacity of accepting COVID-19 patients. These include St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City and Taguig City; the Makati Medical Center; and The Medical City (TMC).

Meanwhile, the National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI) has announced that it has reached the ‘danger zone’ in the utilization of the designated bed capacity for COVID-19 patients. 

The NKTI said its emergency room staff shall be focusing on managing renal emergency cases and post kidney transplant patients. 

It will accommodate non-COVID cases and non-pneumonia cases in the Outpatient Service (OPS).

The National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) has turned its gymnasium into an alternative ward for leptospirosis patients.

This is to accommodate patients with leptospirosis and be provided with immediate treatment for the deadly disease.

The Department of Health (DOH) said the recent rains that caused flooding had contributed to the increase in the number of leptospirosis patients in Metro Manila alone.

To date, the DOH has recorded 106 fatalities and more than 900 cases of leptospirosis. 300 of which are from the NCR.

“It’s really a problem because you know the environmental, sanitation and hygiene do affect the health of our people because the local government, for example, do not do their efficient garbage collection, so certainly it raises the risk of the populace,” DOH Sec. Francisco Duque added.

This, however, is still low compared to what was recorded last year in the last 2 years.

The DOH then urged the public to maintain cleanliness in their respective surroundings to prevent leptospirosis. (with details from Mai Bermudez) /mbmf

The Department of Health will be implementing stricter guidelines in hospitals that are affected by water shortage.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III instructed these hospitals to only allow one companion per patient, saying this will, in a way, help in saving water consumption.

“Sana maintindihan ng mga magulang. Kasi kung hahayaan natin na lahat tatlo, apat (ang bantay), eh ubos ang tubig natin [I hope that the parents will understand. If we will let one patient have three or four companions, our stock water will run out],” said Duque.

Meanwhile, Maynilad announced that they will be prioritizing the delivery of water to five hospitals, namely: Rizal Medical Center, National Center for Mental Health, the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), the Philippine Children Medical Center, and the Quirino Memorial Medical Center, in which the patients confined there are in delicate condition.

NKTI Executive Director, Dr. Rose Marie Rosete Liquete said that if the water supply in hospitals will go low, dialysis patients will be heavily affected.

She further said that to save on water, they will have to move from peritoneal dialysis to hemodialysis.

“Iyong peritoneal dialyisis, ilagagay sa abdominal cavity ng pasyente and then magwa-wash out iyon to empty ng lahat ng toxins ng body so it doesn;t require water to the machine. Ang kailangan lang doon handwashing [During peritoneal dialysis, a cleansing fluid is circulated inside part of your abdominal cavity. It then washes out and empty the toxins out of your body, so it doesn’t require water to the machine. What you will just need is to wash your hands],” said Liquete.

Dr. Joseph Michael Jaro, the Head of the Auxiliary Operations for the Kidney Institute said, “We may have to suspend and slow down the dialysis. It doesn’t have to shut down everything but we really need to prioritize the critical patients.”

The administration of East Avenue Medical Center and the Lung Center of the Philippines also met with Sec. Duque on Thursday and assured him that their respective hospital operations are still running normal and that they still have enough water supply. — Maris Federez (with reports from Aiko Miguel)