'Enough' beds but not sufficient health workers — private hospitals' group
MANILA, Philippines — An organization of private hospitals sought for the augmentation of staff who will treat people infected with COVID-19 as cases continue to rise in Metro Manila and surrounding provinces.
Private hospitals have sufficient beds but they lack employees who will care for COVID-19 patients, said Jose De Grano, president of the Private Hospital Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPi).
“Private hospitals have enough beds but the problem is we don’t have enough healthcare workers. It’s very limited,” De Grano said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel Tuesday.
“Any help actually will suffice. But of course what we need… We have very limited health workers right now; we can’t get any additional nurses. Usually, the government will send augmentation personnel only to government facilities,” he added.
According to the Filipino Nurses United, the nurse to patient ratio in COVID-19 wards should be 1:3 for moderate to severe COVID-19 patients and 1:1 for those needing critical care. But it said a nurse handles an average of 12 severe cases and takes care of two to three patients in intensive care unit.
The spike in cases has been swamping hospitals, with reports of people having difficulty looking for facilities that can treat their loved ones who contracted COVID-19. There were also reports of patients dying outside emergency rooms of hospitals.
De Grano urged people who manifest COVID-19 symptoms to seek assistance first from their barangay health emergency response team (BHERT) before going to a hospital.
“Don’t go directly to hospitals, contact your BHERTs, then they will make the necessary coordination with the different hospitals so they don’t have to wait at the emergency room,” he said.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said Monday that the agency is targeting to have triage system across local government units in a bid to avoid further congesting hospitals. Through this system, patients will be assessed if they can be brought to quarantine facilities or if they are in need of hospital care.
The department also said it will start transferring mild and asymptomatic patients in hospitals to quarantine facilities.
As of April 4, the DOH said 78.93% of the 745 intensive care unit beds for COVID-19 patients in Metro Manila have been occupied, while isolation beds are filled at 71.76%. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
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