Smoke billows out of the Philippine General Hospital as fire breaks out at around 1 a.m. on Sunday, May 16, 2021. (Photo lifted from a video posted on Facebook by NURSE BANGZ)
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) will resume receiving COVID-19 patients on Tuesday after a fire damaged the third floor of its building, hospital chief Gap Legaspi said Monday.
In a Palace briefing, Legaspi said the hospital has asked the national government for a one-day reprieve in accepting COVID-19 patients as it still needs to clean up the aftermath of the fire that broke out on Sunday.
Legaspi said they still have to get rid of the smell of smoke in some parts of the wards.
“Tuluy tuloy ang pagtanggap sa COVID patients pero humingi ako ng isang araw lang na itigil muna ang pagtransfer hangga’t ma-stabilize ang paglipat ng pasyente at ‘yung amoy ng usok [matanggal] kasi kahit papaano may amoy pa rin ang wards eh,” he said.
(We are continuously accepting COVID-19 patients but I asked for one day to stop accepting patients to stabilize the operations and to remove the smell of smoke in some of the wards.)
“Kine-clear up namin ‘yung amoy ng usok bago punuin ng pasyente. Itong araw na ito baka hindi pa kami makakalipat ng pasyente but tomorrow we will resume accepting COVID-19 patients in PGH,” Legaspi added.
(We are clearing up the smell of smoke before we fill it up with patients. For this day, we may not be able to accept patients but tomorrow we will resume accepting COVID-19 patients in PGH.)
Legaspi said about 30 COVID-19 patients were affected by the fire and had to be relocated in other COVID-19 areas in the hospital, including the newly-designated emergency room.
PGH spokesperson Jonas del Rosario earlier said the hospital has temporarily suspended surgical procedures, since the fire started in the area where surgical instruments were being sterilized and prepared.
The hospital’s emergency room will also remain closed on Monday.
For his part, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said the fire at the PGH will not affect the hospital care utilization rate in Metro Manila since it will only stop accepting COVID-19 patients for a day.
He also noted that Metro Manila is no longer under moderate risk since utilization of intensive care unit beds is at 57% while utilization of isolation beds is at 42%.
“On my part, hindi naman po masyado [affected ang utilization rate] kasi kung nakikita niyo po hindi tayo nasa moderate risk,” he said.
(On my part, the utilization rate in Metro Manila will not be affected as it is not at moderate risk.)