Gov’t hospitals required to allot 50 to 70% of bed capacity to COVID-19 patients

The government is now requiring public hospitals to increase its allocation of bed capacity for COVID-19 patients to 50 to 70% in the event there is a surge in COVID-19 cases, Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire said Wednesday. 

Vergeire said it is part of the One Hospital Command strategy of the government to decongest hospitals amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Initially, both public and private hospitals are required to allocate 30% of their bed capacity to COVID-19 patients, a requirement that not all hospitals were able to comply with due to lack of resources.

“Sa public hospitals, we require them to allocate 30% of their bed capacity for COVID-19 patients. Kapag nag-surge ang cases, 50% [dapat], at 'pag kailangan pa, dapat 70% of their bed capacity should be allocated for COVID-19 patients,” Vergeire said in an online DOH forum.

“Nakita naman namin na nagcocomply sila [sa requirement],” she added.

As for private hospitals, Vergeire said they are required to allocate 20% of their bed capacity for COVID-19 patients and hike it to 30% in case there is a surge in cases. 

“We are looking at incentives for private hospitals which will engage in expansion [of bed capacity] on COVID-19 cases,” she said. 

The DOH official, however, reminded the public that hospital confinement is only for COVID-19 cases that are either severe or critical. Mild and asymptomatic COVID-19 patients should be treated under the government’s temporary treatment and monitoring facilities. 

Under the One Hospital Command, mild and asymptomatic patients who initially sought hospital confinement will be referred to these temporary treatment and monitoring centers to ensure that the country’s resources in treating COVID-19 patients are maximized. 

“Ito po ang tamang gatekeeping to ensure na iyong pasyente ay nasa tamang level of treatment,” Vergeire said.

“Mayroon na pong usapan, kapag na-assess na ng ospital ang pasyente na mild o asymptomatic, ma-i-rerefer na sa temporary facility at mayroon na pong magbabantay roon to further decongest our hospitals,” she added.

The Philippines has 70,764 COVID-19 cases as of Tuesday. Of this number, 23,281 recovered while 1,837 died.

A total of 45,646 are active cases. —KG, GMA News