Lung Center of the Philippines. Image from LCP website
MANILA, Philippines — As the country grapples with the increasing number of COVID-19 cases, several hospitals in Metro Manila temporarily suspended their outpatient department (OPD) and face-to-face consultations in a bid to control the hospitals’ capacity status.
The hospitals that have momentarily suspended their OPD and face-to-face operations were:
* Pasay City General Hospital
* Lung Center of the Philippines
* Ospital ng Tondo
* Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium
* UP-Philippine General Hospital Adult Neurology
The Pasay City General Hospital (PCGH) officer-in-charge Dr. John Victor De Gracia said in a statement on Wednesday that their OPD will be temporarily closed starting Thursday (March 25) after three nurses tested positive for COVID-19.
Gracia explained that the department will resume its operation once their personnel test negative in a new RT-PCR test.
Based on data from the Department of Health (DOH), as of March 23, PCGH was classified under high-risk status after reaching a 75.9 percent bed capacity solely for COVID-19 patients.
The Lung Center of the Philippines meanwhile announced on Thursday that their OPD services and doctor’s clinics will be closed until April 4 due to the rising numbers of COVID-19 patients.
The hospital was included in the list of the hospitals under the “critical” level since it has already reached 96.3 percent bed occupancy, according to DOH’s recent data.
Starting on Monday, March 22, the Ospital ng Tondo in Manila has temporarily suspended its face-to-face consultations.
“Sa lahat po ng nakaschedule, kayo po ay pansamantalang ililipat sa ating TELEMEDICINE consultation upang masiguro ang kaligtasan ng aming mga pasyente at kawani dito sa Ospital ng Tondo,” the hospital detailed in a statement.
(Those who have already secured their schedule will be temporarily transferred to our telemedicine consultation to ensure the safety of our patients and the Ospital ng Tondo staff.)
Earlier this month, both Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium and the UP-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) Adult Neurology said they will close their doors for walk-in OPD patients.
“Para sa inyong kaalaman lahat ng nagpaiskedyu para sa buwan ng Marso nalamang po ang aming tatanggapin at wala na pong walk-in,” the Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium said in a statement on March 15.
(For your information, the hospital will accommodate only those who have already scheduled their appointment this March. Walk-in patients will not be accepted.)
Meanwhile, the UP-PGH Adult Neurology issued a public advisory on March 6.
“Pansamangtalang hindi tatanggap ng WALK-IN ang OPD bilang pag iingat laban sa pagkalat ng COVID,” the advisory read.
(The OPD will not admit walk-in patients in the meantime as a precautionary effort against the spread on COVID-19.)
“Mangyaring tumawag sa 155-200 o sa inyong doktor, o magpa-schedule sa OCRA Website (pghopd.up.edu.ph) ng konsultasyon,” it continued.
(You may call 155-200 or your doctor, or schedule your consultation through the OCRA Website (pghopd.up.edu.ph).)
The DOH on Wednesday recorded 6,666 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total active coronavirus cases in the country to 91,754.
Of the tally, 578,461 patients survived while 13,039 succumbed to the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.
The country’s total COVID-19 caseload is 684,311.