Lagman proposes use of military hospitals for COVID-19

The country's military hospitals should be tapped to help in the government's response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a veteran lawmaker said on Friday.

Albay Representative Edcel Lagman said that due to the expanded testing, a surge in cases should be expected, and government should be ready to accommodate patients needing facilities.

"Where are the military hospitals in our war against the COVID-19 pandemic?  While government civilian hospitals and private medical facilities are in round-the-clock operations to address the infectious menace, little is heard of the involvement of the various major military hospitals under the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Veterans Memorial Hospital under the Department of National Defense (DND)," Lagman said in a statement.

The lawmaker said the Department of Health should start coordinating with the DND on how to make use of these hospitals.

According to Lagman, the major military hospitals have a 2,451 combined bed capacity, broken down as follows: (a) AFP Medical Center, also known as the V. Luna Medical Center, with 1,200 bed capacity; (b) Army General Hospital – 200; (c) Air Force General Hospital – 100; (d) Navy General Hospital and Cavite Naval Hospital – 185; and (e) Veterans Memorial Medical Center – 766.

The AFP has other hospitals located nationwide with a composite bed capacity of no less than 556 beds, he added.

"These hospitals are fully funded under the 2020 General Appropriations Act with the Veterans Memorial Medical Center and the V. Luna Medical Center having almost identical total appropriations of P1.8-billion each," Lagman said.

The government should consider utilizing the military hospitals for COVID-19 as several large private hospitals have reported that their effective capacities have been reached and they could no longer admit additional COVID-19 patients.

Lagman said that with the exception of the Veterans Memorial Medical Center and the V. Luna Medical Center with 5 and 1 COVID-19 positive patients, respectively, as of April 2, 2020, the other military hospitals have no record of confinement yet. —Erwin Colcol/LDF, GMA News