110-bed modular hospital in Quezon City opens; more set to open this week – Palace
(Eagle News) – The Philippine government moved to increase COVID-19 bed capacity in Metro Manila amid increasingly overwhelmed hospitals as virus cases continued its spike.
On Tuesday, April 6, the 110-bed modular hospital at the Quezon Institute was opened. This will be for moderate to severe COVID-19 cases.
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Secretary Mark Villar said that this hospital has complete facilities and could accommodate critical COVID-19 patients.
“Hindi po kami titigil sa hospital na ito. Meron pa pong expansion,” he said.
Villar said that they will be adding additional 88 rooms at the Quezon Institute, and another 88 rooms or beds for COVID-19 patients at the Lung Center of the Philippines.
“May ginagawa pa sa NKTI (National Kidney and Transplant Institute) at hindi kami titigil. Malupit talaga at malakas ang kalaban natin,” said Villar who has been designated as isolation czar for COVID cases.
Villar noted that the new COVID-19 variants are now more infectious and highly transmissible. “Hindi po kami susuko,” he said.
-23,000 additional COVID-19 beds/rooms added by DPWH so far- Duque-
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that the DPWH had in fact already built a total of 23,000 beds/rooms for COVID-19, which is already 88 percent of its commitment to build isolation centers that could accommodate 26,000 COVID beds.
Malacanang, on the other hand, announced the opening this week of more COVID-19 bed: 300 bed-capacity at the Manila Times College; 165 additional beds at the New Clark City; 200 beds at the Eva Macapagal Terminal Manila; and 100 beds at the Orion, Bataan Port Terminal.
The government vowed to add more hospital beds dedicated to COVID-19 cases, and to build more isolation centers to address the rising coronavirus cases since March that had resulted in hospitals reaching full capacity in many areas in Metro Manila.
Sen. Christopher “Bong” Go said that this is not the time for fault-finding, but for cooperation and helpng each other.
“Sabi ko nga sa inyo, ito po ang panahaon para magtulungan po tayo, hindi po ito ang panahon para magsisihan tayo,: he said on Tuesday at the opening of the modular hospital in Quezon City.
As of Tuesday, April 6, the Department of Health reported that in the Philippine capital, 82 percent of ICU beds are occupied, while isolation beds are 71 percent ful. At least 60 percent of ward beds are also full, while 63 percent of available ventilators are also in use.
(Eagle News Service)