Despite full capacity, NKTI not turning away COVID-19 patients

The National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI) on Saturday said it continues to accept patients with the coronavirus disease 2019, even if its COVID-19 ward is already 100% occupied.

“Majority of them are on dialysis so that’s why we have not stopped really accepting COVID patients because a lot of hospitals, dialysis centers, are not accepting COVID-positive patients,” said NKTI acting deputy executive director for medical services Dr. Romina Danguilan in a report on “24 Oras Weekend.”

“So again we know that dito po sila dadalhin sa NKTI. Handa naman po kami (they will be brought here and we are prepared for that),” she added.

To continue accommodating COVID-positive patients, Danguilan said the hospital is trying to find a compromise and limit its operations for other diseases.

"The extent of maximizing our COVID-19 beds is we have to restrict now our operations for our other diseases. So ‘yun yung nagiging impact noon (That has been the impact),” she said.

SLMC

Meanwhile, the St. Lukes Medical Center (SLMC) in Taguig and Quezon City have asked patients with symptoms and those in need of immediate attention to visit other hospitals.

The SLMC said its COVID-19 wards and critical care units are at full capacity.

It said that some patients are still waiting for admission to its emergency rooms. -Joahna Lei Casilao/MDM, GMA News