The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) reported that no patient was transferred to other hospitals despite the fire that engulfed several wards in its main building on Wednesday, March 13.
Patients, doctors, and staff were seen evacuating the premises of PGH when the blaze ensued in its main building at around 3 PM, affecting wards one and three.
The Bureau of Fire Prevention declared the fire under control at 3:45 PM and declared a “fire out” by 4:30 PM.
In a message to reporters, the Department of Health (DOH) said that all hospitals in the National Capital Region (NCR) are ready to accommodate the displaced patients of PGH.
"Upon finding out of a fire at the UP-PGH, the DOH Health Emergency Management Bureau (HEMB) extended assistance to UP-PGH for the transfer of patients to various DOH hospitals," the message read.
"All DOH hospitals in NCR (National Capital Region) have been alerted and are prepared to accommodate patients," it added.
At 6 PM, however, DOH reported that UP-PGH had advised the DOH that it would be able to manage its patients in the unaffected wards or rooms.
“DOH remains on standby should the situation require transfers," it said.
In an interview, PGH spokesperson Jonas del Rosario said that up to 180 patients, including eight from the Intensive Care Unit, were temporarily evacuated by hospital staff due to the fire.
While authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire, del Rosario noted that it may have originated from the hospital's audio-visual room located in Ward 1.
The PGH official also noted that the hospital is currently under “Code Triage” and will only accommodate patients with life-threatening conditions.
They will only lift the code once the patients have already returned to their respective wards, he continued.
