PGH situation 'more manageable' now following ER overcapacity - director

Days after announcing that its emergency room had exceeded capacity owing to the influx of patients, the director of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila said on Saturday that the occupancy rate was now "more manageable."

"The situation is more manageable now—thank you for all the DOH's [Department of Health's] help," PGH Director Dr. Gerardo Legaspi said in a statement.

Legaspi said the hospital's occupancy rate stood at 98.97%, while its emergency room had 199 patients as of Saturday morning.

''Our leptospirosis cases since August 1 is 56,'' he added.

Prior to this, the DOH said that 20 hospitals in Metro Manila, including government-owned or controlled organizations (GOCCs), were available to take in patients that other hospitals could no longer accommodate due to overcrowding. —Jiselle Anne Casucian/VBL, GMA Integrated News