PGH director estimates 3 or 4 months before room hit by fire returns to normal

MANILA, Philippines — It would take approximately three or four months before Philippine General Hospital’s (PGH) operating room supply and autoclave room (Orsa) returns to normal operations after a fire broke out at the state-owned facility over the weekend, PGH Director Gap Legaspi said Monday.

Even so, Legaspi said the PGH would not wait for its Orsa to return to normal before they resume conducting surgical procedures.

“Ang tantsa po namin mapapabalik ang normal ng operasyon ng Orsa siguro mga tatlo o apat na buwan po, with the construction considered,” Legaspi said in a televised briefing.

(Our estimate is that the normal operation of Orsa will resume maybe in three or four months with the construction considered.)

“Pero hindi po namin hihintayin yun para makapag-opera ulit. Meron pong mga collaborations na ginagawa with other hospitals and of course within the PGH system, adjustments para maumpisahan ang pag-oopera on a regular basis po,” he added.

(But we will not wait for that to finish before we conduct surgical procedures again. We have collaborations with other hospitals and of course within the PGH system, adjustments so we could conduct surgical procedures again on a regular basis.)

While no operating rooms were directly affected by the fire, Legaspi said PGH’s Orsa has “all the support systems” needed for a surgical procedure.

“So sunog na sunog po ito, lima pong sterilization unit ang nasira,” Legaspi said.

(It was really affected by the fire, five sterilization units were destroyed.)

Legaspi said Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar will visit PGH this Monday afternoon to assess the damage in the facility.

READ: Infants bundled off; no one hurt in PGH fire

JE