The Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center (OMMC) announced that its Emergency Room (ER) has reached full capacity, as posted on its official Facebook page at 10:08 p.m. on Wednesday, August 6.
In an interview on Balansyado on Thursday, Hospital Director Dr. Grace Padilla explained that OMMC is experiencing the same situation as many national government hospitals in Manila, which are also grappling with overcrowded ERs.
“Actually, yung ating ER kaparehas din ng nae-experience natin sa iba't ibang National Government Hospitals ng Maynila na puno na rin ang kanilang Emergency Room. So pag ganun, syempre yung overflow nila napupunta po dito sa ating Ospital.” Dr. Padilla said.
[“Actually, our ER is facing the same challenge as other National Government Hospitals in Manila—our emergency room is full. As a result, the patient overflow from these hospitals is being directed to us,”]
“Sa amin, talagang marami na rin po ang ina-accommodate namin, specially today meron tayong surge ng leptospirosis,” she said.
[“We are currently accommodating a large number of patients. Today, in particular, we’re seeing a surge in leptospirosis cases,”]
According to Dr. Padilla, OMMC has designated a separate area within the hospital as a leptospirosis ward to respond to the surge. Additionally, they have implemented a coordinated referral system with the six other Local Government Unit (LGU) Hospitals in Manila, especially in Sta. Ana Hospital, where the Manila Infectious Diseases Control Center is located. This center has a 16-bed capacity and is now being used to isolate and treat leptospirosis cases.
“I-stabilized lang namin sila and then pag ready na talaga for transfer, talagang–para hindi na rin sila naghihintay ng bed dito sa amin, kami na po ang maghahanap sa kanila ng hospital bed. So coordinated naman yun with other hospitals, cino-conduct din naman naming ng ambulansya sila,” Dr. Padilla added.
[“We stabilize the patients first, and once they’re ready for transfer, we coordinate directly with other hospitals to find available beds. Our ambulance services assist with these transfers to avoid unnecessary waiting at our ER,”]
OMMC still accommodates patients, despite the hospital being full. Their strategy in place is to facilitate transfers to other LGU hospitals when necessary.
Dr. Padilla attributed the rise in leptospirosis cases to the recent flooding caused by typhoons. Many individuals who waded through floodwaters did not receive proper prophylaxis or doxycycline.
“Bago pa lang nagbabaha ang City of Manila, nagbigay na kami ng doxycycline at prophylaxis dito sa iba’t ibang Health Center ng Maynila. But in spite of that, kasi ine-expect naman din talaga natin na after two weeks, dun tataas ang leptospirosis cases kasi may incubation period siya ng at least two weeks, ” she explained.
[“Before the flooding started in the City of Manila, we had already distributed Doxycycline and prophylaxis in various Health Centers in Manila. But in spite of that, we somehow expect cases to increase about two weeks after the flooding due to the incubation period of leptospirosis,”]
Moreover, OMMC released the latest verified data on leptospirosis (as of August 7):
Total cases: 66 (57 Adult & 9 Pediatric)
New Cases: 11 (11 Adult)
Total Discharge: 27
Total Deaths: 7
