By Christine Fabro
Some hospitals in Metro Manila have been reaching full capacity of their COVID-19 hospital beds, including the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) and St. Luke’s Medical Center.
In an advisory released on August 8, the NKTI said there is an increasing number of COVID-19 and leptospirosis cases at the hospital, with all of its COVID-19 beds now occupied.
“Right now, we are in full capacity with our COVID-19 in hospital beds and the five tents, with more than 50 patients at the Emergency Room (ER), our capacity at the ER and the units will significantly decrease,” NKTI executive director Dr. Rose Marie Rosete-Liquete wrote.
NKTI said the admission to the ER are limited to urgent or renal cases only, and that other cases may have to be transferred to other hospitals such as Jose Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center, Philippine General Hospital, and National Center for Mental Health.
National Children’s Hospital also accepts pediatric leptospirosis patients.
“Starting tomorrow, Monday, August 9, we shall further decrease our Internal Medicine and Nephrology outpatient consults […] Our surgeries are confined only to those which have been previously scheduled in the next two weeks and for patients who are already in the hospital, so as not to compromise our patients,” the advisory said.
Meanwhile, St. Luke’s Medical Center said in its advisory on Monday (August 9) that the COVID-19 wards and critical care units in both Global City and Quezon City have reached full capacity.
It added that there are also patients awaiting admission at their Emergency Rooms.
According to the management of St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig, the COVID-19 rooms are at 100% capacity, while the intensive care units are at 80% capacity. – rir
