Metro Pacific Hospitals designates Our Lady of Lourdes as main COVID-19 referral facility

The Metro Pacific Hospitals Holdings Inc. (MPHHI) has designated the Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Sta. Mesa, Manila as its main COVID-19 referral facility, while seeking to double the capacity of its other hospitals such as Makati Medical Center and Cardinal Santos Medical Center.

In a regulatory filing, MPHHI parent company Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) said the Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, a Level 3 hospital with 230 beds, will be its main referral facility for the time being.

"By designating a hospital within the Group to be the main referral facility for PUM/PUI and COVID infected cases, we are aligning our efforts with the Government to address the pandemic," said Atty. Pilar Nenuca Almira, who currently heads both the Our Lady of Lourdes and Cardinal Santos Medical Center.

Almira was appointed head of the Crisis Team of the 16-member Hospitals Group led by MPIC chairman Manuel Pangilinan, and Hospitals president and CEO Augusto Palisoc Jr.

According to MPIC, the 15 other hospitals of the group have already been tasked to look into increasing the capacity to accommodate more patients with COVID-related concerns.

"The rest of the 15 hospitals nationwide have been tasked to review their respective spaces, personnel complement and technical resources, with a view to doubling so that they can double their existing capacity for COVID-related patients to more than 600 beds," it said.

This includes the Asian Hospital and Medical Center, Cardinal Santos Medical Center, Central Luzon Doctors Hospital, Davao Doctors Hospital, De Los Santos Medical Center, Dr. Jesus C. Delgado Memorial Hospital, Makati Medical Center, Manila Doctors Hospital, Manuel J. Santos Hospital, Marikina Valley Medical Center, Riverside Medical Center, Sacred Heart Hospital of Malolos, St. Elizabeth Hospital, and West Metro Medical Center.

"The country’s health care system faces unprecedented challenges because of the ongoing pandemic, caused by a virus that is unfamiliar, and seems easily transmitted.  Our Hospitals Group is focusing their resources on critical concerns – particularly hospital care for the most critically-ill patients infected by COVID-19," said Pangilinan.

"At the same time, we aim to provide every assistance possible to our doctors, nurses and health care personnel to protect their well-being and safety as they courageously pursue their enormously difficult task of caring for patients.  We owe them an inestimable debt of gratitude – these gallant frontliners who altogether reflect our people’s compassion and caring," he added.

As of Sunday, March 29, 2020, the Philippines had a total of 1,418 confirmed cases of COVID 19 -- 42 of whom have since recovered, while 71 died.

"We are on the verge of an unprecedented national health emergency.  Our Hospitals Group has been unselfish in doing its part," said Palisoc.

"We would like to express our gratitude to the Sisters of the Holy Spirit in allowing the use of their Lourdes Hospital for this purpose," he added. --KBK, GMA News