The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) is hit by a fire early Monday morning, September 16, 2024. – The Department of Health (DOH) said its hospitals are prepared to accommodate affected patients. INQUIRER FILES
MANILA, Philippines — Department of Health-supervised hospitals are prepared to accommodate patients affected by the fire that hit the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) on Monday.
Department of Health (DOH) Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said that their chief, Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, ordered various government hospitals near PGH to accept the affected patients if they need to transfer them.
READ: Fire hits Philippine General Hospital in Manila
“Ipinagutos na po si Sec. (Teodoro) Herbosa sa lahat ng karatig na DOH hospitals ‘yung malalapit, sa Jose Reyes (Medical Center), San Lazaro (Hospita) and even ‘yung mga nasa Quezon City, East Avenue (Medical Center), Philippine Orthopedic Center, (Philippine) Heart Center na kung kailangan mag-angkat ng pasyente mula sa PGH, tatanggapin po ‘yan ng DOH,” Domingo said in an interview over Radyo 630.
(Sec. Herbosa already ordered nearby DOH hospitals such as Jose Reyes Medical Center, San Lazaro Hospital, and even those in Quezon City, East Avenue Medical Center, Philippine Orthopedic Center, and Philippine Heart Center that should there be a need to transfer patients from PGH, the DOH will accept them.)
“Amin na ring inaapila sa lahat ng ambulansya na papasok pa lang sa PGH na tumawag muna, mag-coordinate, kasi maraming truck ng bumbero ngayon, sila ay kumikilos, baka maganda muna po ma-divert sila to a DOH hospital,” he added.
(We are also appealing to all ambulances going to PGH to call first and coordinate because several fire trucks are there right now, they are moving, so maybe they should be diverted to a DOH hospital in the meantime.)
READ: Over 100 patients evacuated as fire hits PGH again
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) said in a report that the blaze started in the audio-visual room of PGH at 5:56 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 16, and reached the second alarm before it was extinguished at 7:08 a.m. the same day.
The BFP has yet to provide other details, including the cause of the fire.
In a short Facebook post, Herbosa pointed out the need to assess public hospitals’ fire hazards more intensely to “prevent these fires.”
Domingo boosted the DOH chief’s remark by saying that all hospitals should strengthen their fire risk assessment.
“Ang huling fire was March this year po, so baka kailangan tignan ‘yung mga sirkito o electrical para makita natin ‘yung risk,” the health official added.
(The last fire was in March this year, so maybe there’s a need to check the circuits or electrical wiring so we can assess the risks.)