The Department of Health (DOH) admitted that the critical care capacity or intensive care unit (ICU) beds of hospitals in Metro Manila are in the “danger zone”.
This is due to the increasing number of patients who tested positive for COVID-19. Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said it was based on the DOH’s tracker system.
“Actually, the critical bed capacity especially for the ICUs, according to our data, is in the danger zone. It’s about 70 percent. The occupancy of COVID isolation beds is now increasing. We track it through the Department of Health’s bed tracker system and it is included on our dashboards… ’Our ICU beds, too, are slowly increasing,” Usec said. Vega
In this regard, the DOH has instructed private hospitals to allocate 30 percent of their bed capacity for COVID-19 patients.
The DOH is now also preparing public hospitals.
“We are trying to prepare the public hospitals, especially the government hospitals that they have to adjust in the number of their ICU beds because we have to be ready for this because we are in a crisis,” Usec added. Vega.
Just last week, the DOH announced that the critical care capacity of 11 hospitals in Metro Manila is already full.
These include Veterans Memorial Medical Center, UST Hospital, University of Perpetual Help Medical Center, Tondo Medical Center, Seamen’s Hospital, Philippine Children Medical Center, Metro North Medical Center and Hospital, Las Piñas Doctors Hospital, De Los Santos Medical Center, Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center at Capitol Medical Center.
