Pampanga mayor closes hospital for taking in COVID-19 patient, 3 PUIs from QC

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Philippines — Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. has ordered the closure of the Philippine Rehabilitation Institute Medical Center (PRIMC) on Saturday hours after it admitted a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patient and three patients under investigation (PUI) from Quezon City.

Lazatin also revoked the business permit of the 110-bed hospital, saying it violated a memorandum of agreement that it would only take in COVID-19 patients from Angeles City.

The action of the PRIMC “put the entire Angeles City in danger,” the mayor said.

A PRIMC official did not reply to calls and text messages from the INQUIRER.

Despite the closure order, non-coronavirus patients would remain at the hospital but policemen were deployed to secure the area as to avoid admission of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases coming outside of the city.

Angeles City has no confirmed case of COVID-19 as of Saturday. It was the first to restrict the movement of residents and non-residents including non-acceptance of incoming foreign tourists.

He also ordered the quarantine of the facility and deployed policemen to prohibit the exit of patients. He did not say if he has coordinated with Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte to get the four patients out of PRIMC.

As of March 28, the provincial health office reported six confirmed COVID-19 cases, three of whom had died. Of 98 PUI, four had died, 18 have been admitted to hospitals, 33 have been discharged from hospitals while 43 who showed mild symptoms have been sent home.

Of the 11, 301 persons under monitoring or PUM, at least 2,457 have completed the 14-day quarantine while 8,844 are being checked daily.

/MUF