MANILA, Philippines — Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Friday announced that he has approved the exclusive use of one area of the UP-PGH facility in Manila and the Jose M. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital in Caloocan City for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.
The move was in response to the appeal of several private hospitals to the government to “centralize all efforts and resources” against the viral respiratory illness and to designate one or two hospitals that would solely cater to COVID-19 patients.
READ: Alliance of hospitals appeals for a unified approach to the COVID-19 pandemic
“Binigyan ko na ng [go-signal] ‘yung plano ng UP-PGH na gawin ‘yung isang gusali na exclusive COVID hospital,” Duque said in an interview over dzMM on Friday.
(I have given the go-signal to the plan to make one building of the UP-PGH to be an exclusive COVID-19 hospital.)
“Ang Department of Health naman, we will also convert yung ating Jose M Rodriguez Memorial Hospital sa Caloocan as a specialized COVID hospital,” he added.
(The DOH will also convert the Jose M Rodriguez Memorial Hospital in Caloocan to a specialized COVID-19 hospital.)
The government is also eyeing to convert the Lung Center of the Philippines as a COVID-19 hospital.
Duque, however, said it is not yet feasible as the hospital is catering to numerous cancer patients.
The hospital will instead allocate about 40 isolation rooms for COVID-19 patients.