Sen. Binay backs proposal to temporarily convert hotels into COVID-19 facilities

Senator Nancy Binay on Monday backed the proposal of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) to turn some hotels into temporary hospital facilities to house COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms.

"The move to tap hotels will help lessen the burden on health workers, and hospitals that are currently admitting severe cases," Binay, who chairs the Senate Committee on Tourism, said in a statement.

According to a CNN Philippines report, Philippine College of Physicians Vice President Dr. Maricar Limpin said their group had written to President Rodrigo Duterte about their proposal to convert some hotels into temporary hospital facilities.

She said these converted facilities can be manned by healthcare workers coming from other regions.

Binay believed that although they would have to make sacrifices, the hotel industry would be very much willing to help.

"They are in a unique position to help and complement our hospitals and local quarantine centers to support our healthcare system. They have the backbone in providing viable solutions to quarantine challenges at this very critical time," she said.

"I am one with the PCP in urging the IATF to study this proposal at the soonest," she added.

Dr. Jaime Almora, president of the Philippine Hospital Association, earlier said that hospitals were overwhelmed and overun in light of the surge in COVID-19 cases mainly due to their depleted and overworked manpower.

The severity of the situation prompted Almora to say that the country had already "lost" the war against COVID-19.

But treatment czar Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega believed that the Philippines was not losing its battle against COVID-19, saying that "we are trying to manage the challenge of the surge."

On Monday, the Philippines reported 8,355 new cases of COVID-19, raising the total tally to 803,398. — DVM, GMA News