Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 23) — The Philippine General Hospital’s cancer institute will remain open even as it is tapped by the Health Department to become a referral hospital for COVID-19 patients.
University of the Philippines – PGH director Dr. Gap Legaspi said Monday cancer patients receiving treatment from the hospital’s cancer institute can still do so even if they will be allotting 130 beds for suspected COVID-19 patients.
“Napagkasunduan namin na we will treat cancer as an urgent case. Hindi siya elective, so itutuloy po ang serbisyo dito. The cancer institute is still open. We continue to do our radiotherapy,” Legaspi said in a press briefing.
[Translation: We agreed that we will treat cancer as an urgent case, no longer elective. So our services will continue. The cancer institute is still open. We continue to do our radiotherapy.]
He added that many of the patients seeking treatment from the cancer institute are funded by PGH itself, so they would have a hard time finding another hospital to seek treatment from.
PGH is one of three hospitals tapped by DOH to become a referral center for possible COVID-19 patients. The Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City and Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital have also been tapped to be a referral center.
Initially, these hospitals would only accept patients under investigation for COVID-19 who exhibit mild symptoms and are at risk of deteriorating, like those above 60 years old and have preexisting health conditions.
They would also accept COVID-19 patients who are in moderate to critical condition.
Eventually, Gap said, these hospitals would only accept those who have tested positive for the viral disease once the Health Department manages to ramp up its testing.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire assured that there more tests could be conducted with the arrival of 100,000 test kits at various laboratories across the country.
COVID-19 has infected 462 people in the Philippines, with 33 of them dying because of the disease caused by a virus called SARS CoV-2. Eighteen of those infected have recovered.
Globally, over 339,000 have been infected and 14,705 have died because of the viral disease. Over 98,000 have recovered.
The disease is spread through small droplets from the nose or mouth when people infected with the virus cough or sneeze.
To prevent infection, authorities are urging people to practice regular hand washing, cover their mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and avoid close contact with those who show respiratory symptoms.
Commonly reported COVID-19 symptoms are fever, dry cough and shortness of breath. Those with severe and critical symptoms should call the Health Department at (02) 8-651-7800 local 1149-1150.
CNN Philippines’ Multi-platform Writer Xave Gregorio contributed to this report.
