All hospitals have no right to refuse patients – DOH

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, DOH spokesperson, announced 16 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease on March 11, 2020. (Photo by CONSUELO MARQUEZ / INQUIRER.net)

MANILA, Philippines — All hospitals, private or government, should not refuse but assess patients as they are required to assess those who are in need of medical assistance while the threat of coronavirus disease continues, the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.

“What we are saying right now, you don’t have any right to refuse. All hospitals need to help the government. They need to assess and refer the patient,” Health Undersecretary Dr. Maria Rosario Vergeire, speaking partly in Filipino, said in a press conference when asked about reports of hospitals refusing admission of patients amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

This developed after reports came out that the The Medical City in Pasig refused the admission of patients under investigation for COVID-19 because they were already at full capacity. But the hospital said that it was still operating under the assumption of normality.

Vergeire said all hospitals accredited by the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth) are required to assess and advise patients. If hospitals refuse patients, they would be given sanctions, Vergeire added.

Vergeire also clarified that public hospitals were required to reserve private rooms as isolation rooms for confirmed COVID-19 patients and patients under investigation (PUIs) for the disease.

Under the memorandum of Health Undersecretary Dr. Gerry Bayugo, all level 2 and level 3 hospitals could cater to PUIs and confirmed cases for COVID-19.

But only government hospitals in Luzon, including Metro Manila, are required to convert their private rooms to isolation rooms for the increasing number of persons checked for the fatal disease.

/atm