The Philippine Hospital Association said that hospitals are already overwhelmed and overran due to the surge in COVID-19 cases.
“Nangyayari na yung kinatatakutan nating mangyari.” PHA said in an interview on GMA News.
Philippine Hospital Association President Jaime Almora said that the country was already defeated in its fight against COVID-19.
“Hindi tayo natatalo, natalo na,” Almora said.
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The group said that hospital capacity is not as big a problem as its capability to attend to patients but it’s the lack of manpower that really overwhelms the hospitals.
“Ibig sabihin kung wala silang capability, not necessarily wala silang capacity. Kung beds ang pag-uusapan, merong beds. Ang wala ay ang mag-aasikaso sa pasyente,” he said.
Almora also appealed to the government to allow employed the nurses from private hospitals to help “provide reinforcement” in the war against COVID-19.
“Kumbaga sa giyera, nasa firing line sila at wala nang reinforcement. Nanawagan kami sa ahensiya ng gobyerno na nag-employ ng maraming nurse to provide reinforcement,” he said.
The government’s ‘One Hospital Command’ reveals that they are currently facing a lot of strain due to the surge in COVID-19 cases.
The command center receives 400 calls daily according to treatment czar and Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega.
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“Because of this surge, the One Hospital Command is experiencing a lot of strain,” Vega said in an interview on ABS-CBN News.
Vega said that the center used to only receive an average of 68 to 70 calls back in February.
“But now we’re receiving almost 400 calls per day. It kind of overwhelms also the number of agents that are going to refer patients to the different hospitals,” he said.
“This is one of the weaknesses that we have and we are seeking the understanding and the patience of the public that we’re trying to improve more the command center so we can respond to and serve the public better,” he added. (TDT)
