DPWH eyes new 176 beds for critical COVID cases, 3K more for isolation by May

Public Works and Highways
Secretary Mark Villar. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / LYN RILLON

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is targeting to complete next month 176 more beds for severe COVID-19 cases and up to 3,000 beds for isolation, DPWH Secretary and isolation czar Mark Villar said Tuesday.

“May plano din kami na dagdagan pa yang mga modular hospitals so ang target namin ay by next month, madagdagan po ng 176 bed capacity ang ating mga hospital,” Villar said in a televised briefing.

(We have a plan to add modular hospitals by next month, we will add 176 bed capacity for our hospitals.)

“Itong mga ginagawa naming mga modular hospital ay mga critical care. In effect, these are usable as ICU [intensive care unit] rooms. Ito po ay magagamit natin para sa mga severe cases ng COVID,” he added.

(These modular hospitals are for critical care. In effect, these are usable as ICU rooms. These will be used for severe COVID cases.)

Of the 176 beds for critical cases, Villar said 88 beds will be added to Quezon Institute and 88 beds will be for the Lung Center of the Philippines which recently announced it could no longer accept walk-in COVID-19 patients in its emergency room.

Villar said the DPWH also targets to finish by next month some 3,000 to 4,000 additional isolation beds.

“May 23,000 bed capacity ang nagawa ng DPWH nationwide. Target po namin madagdagan pa ito ng more or less almost 3,000 to 4,000. So ang target po namin is 26,000 by next month ang magiging capacity ng ating bed space,” Villar said.

(We currently have 23,000 bed capacity established by DPWH nationwide. We target to add more or less 3,000 to 4,000. So our target is to have 26,000 bed capacity by next month.)

The additional beds will be focused in Metro Manila where there is a high occupancy in quarantine facilities, he added.

JPV