DOH: Only 20-22% of hospitals comply with gov’t policy on COVID-19 bed allocation

Facade of the DOH main office in Manila. INQUIRER.net file photo / Consuelo Marquez

MANILA, Philippines — Only around 20 to 22 percent of private and public hospitals were able to comply with the government’s policy requiring them to allocate a certain percentage of their bed capacity for COVID-19 patients, the Department of Health (DOH) said Thursday.

In a press briefing, Health Undersecretary Leopoldo “Bong” Vega bared that in early July, only around 8 percent of private hospitals and 16 or 17 percent of public hospitals complied with the COVID-19 bed allocation policy.

But after the DOH talked to hospital directors, Vega said compliance increased up to 22 percent.

The DOH is requiring private hospitals to allocate 20 percent of their beds for COVID-19 patients while public hospitals are asked to set aside 30 percent.

“(For) private (hospitals), in the last week of July about 18 percent of them came up with 20 percent allocation and about 20 to 22 percent of public (hospitals) came up with 30 percent allocation,” he said.

Vega said the low-compliance rate is somehow “understandable” as he noted that “it’s not easy to convert wards into COVID wards” citing the infrastructure and human resources concerns.

The DOH recently came up with the amended policy, mandating government hospitals to increase their bed allocation for COVID-19 patients to 50 percent of their capacity should there is a surge in cases— up to 70 percent if need.

Meanwhile, private hospitals will be asked to set aside up to 30 percent of their capacity for COVID-19 patients when there is a surge in cases.

As of Thursday, there are 115,980 confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide, including 66,270 recoveries and 2,123 deaths.

JPV