3 days ago
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Undated photo shows the Philippine General Hospital's gate.
The Philippine STAR / Miguel De Guzman, file
MANILA, Philippines — The University of the Philippines’ Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) emergency room is struggling with an overwhelming influx of patients, pushing it to critical overcapacity.
However, no single cause is driving the surge in patients seeking emergency care, spokesperson Jonas del Rosario said.
In an interview with DZBB 594 on Friday, March 28, he said there’s no outbreak or disaster causing the overcapacity. “‘Di lang napapansin [na] talagang marami nagpapa-ospital ngayon, marami nagkakasakit, nagkakatrangkaso,” he added.
(It's not as noticeable that a lot of people are getting hospitalized now, many are getting sick and coming down with the flu.)
He said most emergency cases recently involve common conditions such as strokes, heart attacks, cancer, appendicitis, gut obstruction or the need for blood transfusions.
The emergency room is handling two to three times its ideal capacity of 75 to 80 patients. Del Rosario said it has even become routine for the hospital to accommodate around 150 to 160 people.
“So just imagine, pinagkakasya po namin ‘yun, eh dapat kalahati lang ang nandoon,” Del Rosario said. (So just imagine, we're making it work even though only half that number should be there.)
However, in recent days, the number of patients has worsened. He said the patient count in the emergency room increased to around 180 to 200.
UP-PGH would even try having patients lie down on stretchers or beds, but even those are not enough. Many are left sitting on chairs or even on the floor, the spokesperson said.
“Masikip po. … We don’t usually turn down patients po eh, talagang hanggang kaya po [nag-aaccommodate kami],” Del Rosario added.
(It's cramped. ... We don’t usually turn down patients. As much as possible, we accommodate.)
Where else to go
To help ease the strain on UP-PGH, the Department of Health has instructed hospitals, clinics, ambulances and doctors to direct patients to DOH hospitals.
Here is a list of alternative hospitals where patients can seek care in the meantime.
Caloocan
- Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium
Las Piñas
- Las Piñas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center
Malabon
- San Lorenzo Ruiz General Hospital
Mandaluyong
- National Center for Mental Health
Manila
- Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital
- Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center
- San Lazaro Hospital
- Tondo Medical Center
Marikina
- Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center
Muntinlupa
- Research Institute for Tropical Medicine
Pasig
- Rizal Medical Center
Quezon City
- East Avenue Medical Center
- National Children's Hospital
- Philippine Orthopedic Center
- Quirino Memorial Medical Center
- Lung Center of the Philippines
- National Kidney and Transplant Institute
- Philippine Heart Center
- Philippine Children's Medical Center
Valenzuela
- Valenzuela Medical Center
Lack of hospital beds, healthcare workers
Del Rosario explained that the surge in emergency room patients is partly due to the lack of available hospital beds, preventing many from being admitted.
At the same time, some patients could not be discharged immediately since many have chronic conditions that require longer and more complicated treatments.
Del Rosario said the hospital is exploring whether other departments have spare beds while awaiting additional units to bring capacity closer to 2,000. Currently, UP-PGH has 1,334 beds.
The Department of Budget and Management recently approved the hiring of 1,224 new positions for the hospital, with recruitment set to continue through 2027.
Del Rosario said the hospital also needs more healthcare personnel, as the bed shortage and the higher patient load per doctor and nurse have impacted the quality of care.
UP-PGH is also in the process of upgrading its buildings and facilities, especially after experiencing frequent fire incidents.
