Fire-hit PGH to resume accepting COVID-19 patients on Tuesday
State-run Philippine General Hospital will resume accepting patients afflicted by coronavirus disease on Tuesday after one of its buildings was hit by fire, an official said on Monday.
PGH Director Gerardo Legaspi said his office just needed one day to stop accepting patients after the fire brokeout early Sunday to fully prepare the wards affected by the incident.
"So, we are still clearing the areas which have the smell of smoke before we fill them up with patients. So just for today we may transfer the patients, but by tomorrow, we will resume accepting COVID patients to PGH. There's not much change, except for one-day preparation again," he said in a televised press briefing.
PGH is one of the government's COVID-19 referral hospitals in Metro Manila. A fire brokeout at the third floor of one of the buildings early Sunday.
Specifically, Legaspi said the operating room supply and sterilization room where autoclave machines could be found were the ones damaged by fire.
He said the operating rooms were not affected but what were damaged were all the support systems needed to run the operating rooms.
While the Bureau of Fire has no official report yet as to the total estimated damage at PGH, Legaspi, in the "Laging Handa" public briefing, said it could be at least P50 million.
"Perhaps just by equipment alone, the damaged autoclave and sterilization units, our initial estimated damage is 50 million (pesos) upwards," he said.
In the same press briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed readiness to extend financial assistance to PGH.
"So whatever is needed now to repair the damage, the Presidential Social Fund can be tapped because that has been previously offered to PGH," he said.
He noted that shortly after Duterte assumed the presidency, he earmarked P100 million to PGH.
Legaspi said the regular monthly support now of PGH from PSF has reached to P25 million, subject to liquidation and renewal of contracts.
"Right now, we're waiting to renew the contract for the succeeding months to come. But in the past years, we were given 25 milion (pesos) a month and this went directly to support the patients," he said. Celerina Monte/DMS
