Manila: The government has mobilized a network of hospitals and activated a coordinated referral system to prevent the rising number of leptospirosis patients from overwhelming individual health facilities, Malaca±ang said Wednesday.
According to Philippines News Agency, the response comes as hospitals reported mounting pressure on their emergency rooms following widespread flooding, with San Lazaro Hospital receiving an influx of patients and Ospital ng Maynila announcing that its emergency room had reached full capacity.
The National Kidney Transplant Institute has also reported full bed capacity due to the surge in leptospirosis cases.
Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. wants hospitals to coordinate and redistribute patients rather than allow overcrowding in individual facilities to delay treatment.
'Totoo po iyan, at iyan din po ang nais ng Pangulo kaya po tumugon agad ang DOH (That is true, and that is also what the President wants, which is why the DOH responded immediately),' Castro said in a Palace briefing.
Citing the Department of Health (DOH), Castro said 33 DOH hospitals in Metro Manila, Regions 1 (Ilocos Region), 2 (Cagayan Valley), 3 (Central Luzon) and the Cordillera Administrative Region have activated leptospirosis express lanes for patients needing immediate assessment and possible hospitalization.
The government is also using surge capacity management to ensure the availability of hospital beds and medicines for patients who require admission.
Acting Health Secretary Edwin Mercado has also convened a command conference involving DOH hospitals to strengthen coordination on patient navigation and referrals, Castro said.
The DOH Operations Center is already coordinating with San Lazaro Hospital to refer patients to other hospitals in Metro Manila.
Castro said all DOH hospitals, health centers and PhilHealth YAKAP clinics are also ready to receive patients seeking consultation after exposure to floodwaters.
The Palace said further updates would be issued on additional hospitals that could be tapped as the government continues to monitor the surge.
