Critical care capacity of hospitals still ‘manageable,’ Palace assures

MANILA, Philippines — The critical care capacity of the country’s hospitals remains “manageable,” Malacañang assured Tuesday even after several hospitals already declared they have reached full capacity.

Health undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said Monday that critical care capacity to handle COVID-19 patients reached 70 percent of its “danger zone.”

“Sa critical care capacity, yung nagmeeting kami ay 60 percent at sabi po ni Usec. Vega ngayon ay nasa 70 percent. Manageable naman po yan,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an online briefing.

(With the critical care capacity, when we had a meeting, it was at 60 percent; then Usec. Vega said it is now at 70 percent. That is manageable.)

Roque said Vega, who is also the treatment czar, is coordinating with hospitals to ensure that COVID-19 patients will not be refused if a health facility has reached its full capacity.

“Hindi itataboy ang pasyente dahil sa rason na espasyo. Sasabihin kung saan dapat pumunta. Dahil overall, sapat sapat naman po ang ating mga hospital beds kasama na po dyan yung ating mga ICU [intensive care unit] beds,” Roque said.

(The patients will not be refused due to reason of space. They will be told where they can go. Because overall, we have enough beds including ICU beds.)

“So kung puno na ang ospital na gusto ninyo pasukan, sasabihan naman po kayo kung saan puwede magpunta kung kailangan ng ICU care,” he added.

(If the hospital you go to is already full, you will be told where to go if you need ICU care.)

Among the hospitals that have reached their full COVID-19 bed capacity are the Philippine General Hospital, both St. Luke’s hospitals in Quezon City and Taguig City, Makati Medical Center, and The Medical City.

JE