No new admissions, surgeries at PGH after fire
MANILA, Philippines — The emergency room of the Philippine General Hospital will remain closed on Monday after a fire damaged a portion of the country’s biggest COVID-19 referral center, its spokesperson said.
Fire hit the the state-owned medical center’s third floor early Sunday, with the blaze starting at the sterilization area of the hospital’s operating room, Dr. Jonas Del Rosario said in an interview with the ABS-CBN News Channel. No injuries or casualties were reported.
PGH will not be able to accommodate new patients on Monday as patients have been transferred to the hospital’s new emergency room.
“We asked permission to stop admissions just for today. Hopefully by tomorrow we will open the emergency room,” he said.
The hospital also suspended all surgical operations.
“We’re just praying not a lot of instruments were destroyed and we can resume normal operations within 24 to 48 hours,” Del Rosario said.
“We cannot really suspend operations for a long time. There’s so many patients dependent on surgery,” he added.
There were 153 COVID-19 patients admitted in PGH. The hospital spokesperson said around 100 COVID-19 patients were evacuated to the intensive care unit of PGH’s charity ward and the emergency room of the OB department.
The PGH spokesperson said the Bureau of Fire Protection and the Department of Public Works and Highways will investigate the cause of the fire on Monday.
The PGH administration appealed for emergency donations. — Gaea Katreena Cabico
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