Ospital ng Maynila ER hits full capacity as leptospirosis cases surge
MANILA, Philippines — The Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center (OMMC) declared on Wednesday morning, August 26 that they have reached full capacity in their emergency room due to the increasing number of patients with suspected and confirmed leptospirosis.
The management said in their announcement that their emergency room has been operating at full capacity of 300% within the last two days.
The OMMC is the third public hospital within Metro Manila to declare full capacity this week as more patients with apparent symptoms of leptospirosis seek medical attention.
“Pinaalalahanan ang mga pasyente na nangangailangan ng emergency care na habaan ang pasensya ngunit mabibigyan din ng tamang atensyon o mailipat namin sa ibang pinakamalapit na ospital na may kakayahang pang tumanggap ng karagdagang pasyente,” OMMC’s announcement read.
(We are reminding all patients who are in need of emergency care to extend their patience, as they will be afforded the proper attention or be transferred to the nearest hospital that can still accommodate more patients.)
The National Kidney and Transplant Institute was the first to announce full bed capacity on Sunday, August 23. The institution has limited walk-in admissions to prioritize patients with immediate and emergency needs.
Meanwhile, the management of San Lazaro Hospital said on Monday, August 24 that its emergency room operates at 300% to 500%. As of Tuesday, August 25, the Department of Health (DOH) reported that all 120 beds in the hospital allocated to leptospirosis patients have been fully occupied.
Both NKTI and San Lazaro Hospital’s management said that they are expecting the leptospirosis patients to climb further in the coming days.
The DOH has earlier reported that cases of leptospirosis rose to 4,285 as of August 22, reflecting an almost 25% increase or an additional 845 cases in two weeks, from the 3,440 cases reported on August 8.
The surge in cases came after weeks of heavy rains brought by the enhanced southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones Luis, Maymay and Neneng, which caused flooding in several areas in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.
The DOH said most of the leptospirosis cases were recorded in the National Capital Region, Region 2 or Cagayan Valley, and Region 3 or Central Luzon.
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