Malacañang on Monday refuted reports that Metro Manila government hospitals were having shortages in beds and other facilities and that they could no longer admit Covid-19 patients.
“Nililinaw po namin na iyong mga kumakalat na fake news na ubos na raw po ang mga hospital beds ng ating mga hospital, hindi po iyan totoo,” he told reporters in a Palace briefing.
Roque said Metro Manila’s critical care utilization rate stood at 63 percent.
“Ito po ay moderate risk pa lamang,” he added.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire in a separate briefing said that isolation beds in Metro Manila state hospitals were 68 percent occupied; ward beds were 79 percent occupied; and ICU beds were 51 percent occupied. Moreover, only 29.8 percent of mechanical ventilators were utilized.
Roque also said the Department of Health (DOH) met with Metro Manila hospitals’ medical directors regarding the administrative order requiring 30 percent of all bed capacities to be designated for Covid-19 patients. Vergeire said many private hospitals have not complied.
Should Covid-19 infections continue to rise, Roque said Metro Manila might either return to stricter community quarantine or be forced to fund more hospital facilities.
Vergeire however reported that 11 private hospitals, as of July 3, have reported full utilization of their Covid-19 ICU beds, as follows:
- Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center
- Veterans Memorial Medical Center
- University of Santo Tomas Hospital
- Las Piñas Doctors Hospital
- Tondo Medical Center
- University of Perpetual Help Medical Center
- Seamen’s Hospital
- Philippine Children Medical Center
- Metro North Medical Center and Hospital
- De Los Santos Medical Center
- Capitol Medical Center
The country has recorded 46,333 Covid-19 cases as of July 6, after recording more than 2,000 daily infections the past two days. John Ezekiel J. Hirro