NKTI opens gymnasium due to influx of non-COVID patients

The influx of non-COVID-19 patients in the past week has prompted the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) to open up its gymnasium to cater to the number of dialysis patients that is four times over its emergency room capacity, an official of the hospital said Tuesday.

In an Unang Balita interview, NKTI Deputy Executive Director for Hospital Support Services Dr. Joseph Jaro noted that their emergency room could only hold up to 40 patients, but the recent days saw the number of admissions increase to 158.

“Pagdating sa kapasidad ng ospital na ‘to, sobra-sobra ang pasyente. Nung nakaraang tatlong araw lang ngayong nakaraang linggo, ang emergency room na kapasidad lang ay 40 pero umabot kami ng 158 patients sa loob ng isang emergency room,” he said.

“Mahirap. May mga kama kami sa hallway, wheelchairs. ‘Yung nahihirapan masyado, nakakama syempre, pero marami sa mga pasyente ang naka wheelchair,” he added.

(There are too many patients here. In the last three days the past week, the patients reached 158 but our emergency room capacity was only 40. It is difficult. We have beds and wheelchairs in the hallway. Those who were having a hard time were placed in beds, but many of the patients were in wheelchairs.)

Due to this situation, Jaro said that they had to reopen NKTI’s gymnasium and transfer at least 20 patients there just to cater to their medical needs.

He also stressed that the majority of these 158 patients were dialysis patients and only eight of them were infected with COVID-19 and were already transferred to their COVID-19 unit.

Asked why the number of non-COVID patients has only increased now, Jaro said, “Feeling namin kasi, ito ay mga pasyente na nagtitiis dahil nga nung kasagsagan ng COVID ay ayaw lumabas ng bahay syempre sa takot na magka-COVID. Tandaan natin ang mga dialysis patients are very high morbidity patients. Sila ‘yung diabetic, hypertensive."

(We think that these are patients who are suffering because at the height of COVID, they did not want to leave the house out of fear of getting COVID-19. Dialysis patients are very high morbidity patients and some of them are diabetic and hypertensive.)

Jaro noted that only 55 patients remain in NKTI’s emergency room after seeking help from other hospitals and discharging other patients.

Several hospitals in Metro Manila such as the Philippine General Hospital and Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center, have also reported a filling up of non-COVID-19 patients in their respective emergency rooms in the past days.

Hiring nurses

Further, the Jaro called on registered nurses to apply in a government hospital such as NKTI as they are currently in need of 90 nurses to work immediately.

“Inaanyayahan namin kayong mga nurses, pumunta na kayo dito sa Kidney Institute. Maganda ang salary sa gobyerno at meron kayong career path kayo dito,” he said.

(We invite nurses to work here at the Kidney Institute. The salary in the government is good and you have a career path here.)

The Philippine Nurses Association (PNA) earlier said the incoming Marcos administration should look into implementing the proposed Philippine Nursing Act which would equalize the pay of nurses in public and private hospitals, considering the increasing number of Filipino healthcare workers heading overseas for higher wages. — RSJ, GMA News