Health Secretary Francisco Duque III (Presidential Photo)
MANILA – The healthcare utilization rate in the National Capital Region (NCR) went down by 28 percent from its peak, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Monday.
During a televised meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte, Duque said during the peak of the Covid-19 surge, the healthcare utilization rate was 68 percent overall but this declined to just 40 percent towards May.
"At ganoon din po sa mga bahagi ng ating health systems capacity ay bumaba din po lalo na ang ating ICU beds, malaki po ang ibinaba, from 88 percent, ito po ay nasa 53 percent na lang po (And for the part of our health systems capacity, it also went down especially our ICU beds, from 88 percent, it is now at 53 percent), for a difference of 35 percent reduction in the ICU utilization rate," Duque added.
The decrease in the healthcare utilization rate in the NCR can be attributed to the decline in Covid-19 cases as community quarantines were imposed in the region.
The government used the quarantine periods to expand the health systems capacity which resulted in more beds in hospitals and healthcare facilities dedicated to patients with Covid-19.
Meanwhile, Region 9 and BARMM have critical risk ICU utilization rates while other areas are at high risk.
"At habang nasa high risk ang Regions II, CAR, Region X, at Region VI, at ito po ay tinutugunan sa kasalukuyan ng ating National Task Force at mga local task forces kaakibat ng DILG at ng DOH at pinatulungan po natin na mapalawig ang healthcare systems capacity po (While Regions II, CAR, Region X, and Region VI are at high risk, they're being helped by the National Task Force and local task forces together with DILG and DOH to expand their healthcare systems capacity)," Duque said.
As of May 31, the national healthcare utilization rate is at 48 percent. At the peak of the surge from April 13 to 15, the rate reached 54 percent. (PNA)
