Turn private rooms into isolation wards, gov’t hospitals urged

March 11, 2020

Government hospitals have been ordered to turn their private rooms into isolation wards as part of initial preparation to meet community transmission of COVID-19, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday. 

In a press briefing, Assistant Health Secretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said they told all public hospitals to be ready to meet a high number of required isolation rooms for COVID-19 patients by temporarily refusing patients for their private rooms. 

"As part of our initial stages of preparation for community transmission, we have ordered all government hospitals to stop accepting private patients temporarily," said Vergeire. 

"In turn, they should reserve the private rooms of government hospitals to serve as isolation rooms," she added. 

"This is part of our hospital preparedness, where in case of a surge capacity, where the original bed capacity is exceeded, we will still have enough isolation rooms," said Vergeire. 

The statement comes amid reports The Medical City has been refusing suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients as it is at full capacity. 

In a statement, The Medical City admitted to temporarily "closing access" if only to increase their capacity to handle all types of patients. 

"Given the surge of COVID-19 cases, we must not forget our responsibility to also care for non-COVID-19 and non-PUI patients, who have other illnesses and who also may be immunocompromised," said the private hospital. 

"As the internal memo indicates, we are temporarily closing access to increase our capacity for handling both COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients safely, for their sake as well as others," it added. 

Part of their efforts to increase capacity, it explained, is making their health care workers be more well-equipped to deliver right treatment across all patients, and to sustain themselves to continue working.

"The multiplier effect of virus transmission is magnified if workers are not properly equipped and protected to handle patients," said the Medical City. DMS