Son takes father with COVID-19 symptoms to 11 hospitals from Novaliches to Pampanga

A son moved heaven and earth to find a hospital with vacancy for his father who is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.

According to a report on “24 Oras” on Thursday, Melchie Garcia took his father from Novaliches to San Fernando, Pampanga just to be able to find a hospital with a vacancy for COVID-19 patients.

Garcia said they went to 11 hospitals on March 29.

His father was already experiencing fever, cough and difficulty in breathing.

Garcia said they tried to get help from the One Hospital Command Center but they were still 32nd in the queue.

He said they eventually found a vacancy in a hospital in Valenzuela City.

They had to wait for 12 hours before his father received medical attention.

“Sabi ko, ‘Pa, lumaban ka. Kahit makarating tayong Batangas, Laguna, makahanap lang tayo ospital,” Garcia said.

[I told him to fight. We’ll even go to Batangas or Laguna just to be able to find a hospital with a vacancy.]

Earlier, the Department of Health said bed capacity of big hospitals in Metro Manila for COVID-19 patients already reached the “high risk” level.

Dr. Jaime Almora, the president of the Philippine Hospital Association, said hospitals are already "overwhelmed and overrun" mainly due to their depleted and overworked manpower.

The severity of the situation prompted Almora to say that the country has already "lost" amid the war against the coronavirus.

The country has so far recorded 756,199 cases of COVID-19 including 138,948 active cases, 603,948 recoveries and 13,303 deaths. --Ma. Angelica Garcia/NB, GMA News