MANILA, Philippines — Hospitals in the National Capital Region are reaching capacity for non-COVID patients, the National Patient Navigation and Referral Center (NPNRC), formerly known as One Hospital Command, reported yesterday.
In a public briefing, NPNRC operations manager Bernadett Velasco said they observed that many hospitals in NCR this has actually been the trend whenever there is a decline in COVID-19 cases.
“We have experienced this before, when people would start visiting their doctors for chronic diseases or uncontrolled illnesses when COVID-19 cases are low. They would go to the emergency rooms,” she said.
Because of this, the occupancy rate in non-COVID wards in NCR is increasing, Velasco said, adding that the NPNRC is coordinating with hospitals in other regions “so they can also maximize their rooms or available services, so that not all patients will come to NCR.”
Within Metro Manila, Velasco said the NPNRC is maximizing the use of other health facilities and services.