MANILA – The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) would resume full operations of the Covid-19 wards on May 18, three days after a fire hit the third floor of the hospital’s central block building.
In a Palace press briefing on Monday, PGH Director Dr. Gerardo Legazpi said he requested Health Undersecretary and treatment czar Leopoldo Vega to give them one more day to clear and prepare the Covid-19 wards on the fifth, sixth and seven floors.
“So, kini-clear up namin iyong mga areas na may amoy pa ng usok bago namin punuin pa ng pasyente. So, itong araw lang na ‘to baka makakalipat na ang mga pasyente (we’re clearing up the areas that still have smell of smoke before we fill even more patients. So, just for this day, the patients may be able to transfer,) but by tomorrow, we will resume accepting Covid-19 patients to PGH,” Legazpi said.
He added that the fire that broke out before dawn on Sunday has damaged hospital equipment amounting to PHP30 to PHP50 million particularly inside the operating room sanitization area.
Legazpi said they have already surveyed the market for available units that will replace the damaged equipment.
“Mayroon pong mga available na units na maaari naming mabili, kaya ang amin pong (There are available units that we can purchase, that’s why our) strategy is to overcome government procurement procedures. Maybe purchase them on an emergency basis, so that we can equip the hospital again,” he said.
He said the new equipment will be temporarily installed in two designated areas within the PGH premises while the damaged operating room sanitization area is still under renovation.
Legaspi said at least 34 Covid-19 patients have been evacuated from the fifth, sixth and seventh floors when the fire broke out due to “faulty electrical wiring or circuit breaker.”
In a separate media forum, Health Undersecretary and Spokesperson Maria Rosario Vergeire said the Department of Health (DOH) has distributed additional N95 and KN95 masks to PGH as the hospital staff are required to wear them for 48 hours to avoid inhaling the smoke.
Citing that fire incidents are high during summer, Vergeire said the DOH has coordinated with the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Bureau of Fire Protection for the monitoring of DOH hospitals. (PNA)
