Metro Lipa declares full capacity; won’t admit COVID patients for now

 

Lipa City, Batangas – Metro Lipa Medical Center (MLMC) announced on Wednesday that the hospital temporarily won’t admit COVID patients after the allotted isolation beds have reached its full capacity.

“In this regard, we humbly request that you transfer Covid-19 suspect, probable and confirmed patients (sic) requiring admission to other healthcare facilities, as we could no longer extend beyond our current capacity without compromising the health of our patient and hospital staff,” MLMC medical director Dr. John Rodolfo Suan said in a public advisory posted at the hospital’s official Facebook page.

Likewise, the hospital’s emergency room staff had been instructed to “screen all patients coming to the emergency room and to admit only patients classified as non-Covid.”

In a Viber message, Suan said based on all of the hospital’s 10 isolation beds for COVID patients have already been occupied, leading to the hospital management’s decision to suspend admitting the said patients.

Outpatient and emergency rooms, meanwhile will remain open for initial management of COVID and non-COVID patients.

“This is only temporary and we will keep everyone updated once we have available isolation beds for admission,” Suan said in a public advisory.

Earlier, DWIZ radio reported that the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines expressed fears that private hospitals in the Philippines may once again reach full capacity in three to four weeks.

PHAP President Dr. Jose De Grano said this may happen if the COVID cases in the country continue to surge. Should this situation happen, he says health workers may request another “time out.”

In its 4 pm report, the Department of Health recorded 4,387 new COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, with 374 new recoveries and 18 new deaths.

Because of this, the Philippines now has 635,698 COVID cases, 61,733 active cases, 561,099 recoveries and 12,866 deaths as of March 17.

About Jeremaiah Opiniano