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 — A lawmaker has filed a resolution calling on various national government agencies to provide quick assistance to fire-hit Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and ensure that it would return to normal operations in a matter of days.
Senior Citizen Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes filed House Resolution No. 1767 on Monday, to urge the House of Representatives as a whole to call on the Department of Health, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Finance, and other agencies to help PGH.
PGH’s complex along Taft Avenue in Manila was affected by a fire early Sunday morning, which forced patients — from babies to COVID-19 patients — to evacuate to escape the smoke that filled the third floor of one of its buildings.
Earlier, PGH Director Gap Legazpi said that it might take three to four months before PGH’s operating room supply and autoclave room returns to normal operations.
According to Ordanes, it is imperative for the national government to step in and help the hospital, as it is a vital chain in the country’s healthcare system — which has already been strained due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The PGH being the go-to hospital of our indigent countrymen, its operation’s disruption due to fire is a significant blow to our pandemic-suffering health care system,” he explained in a statement.
“Funds must be immediately mobilized and 24/7 reconstruction of the PGH must ensue so that normalcy can be attained in just a matter of days, not months,” he added.
In the House resolution, Ordanes said that the above-mentioned agencies must provide the “needed financial, personnel, infrastructure, equipment, medical supplies, and other kinds assistance that PGH needs” so that it can resume operations quickly.
During the incident, several patients, including newborn babies were hurriedly evacuated to ensure their safety. Fortunately, no one was hurt during the incident.
PGH has called for donations so that they can clear damaged areas and help patients, to which celebrities and various government officials responded to. Earlier, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said that President Rodrigo Duterte may tap the Presidential Social Fund to finance the repairs that PGH would need.