Private hospitals lack nurses for Delta variant-driven surge — group
MANILA, Philippines — The country's group of private hospitals on Monday warned they are short of medical workers should a new surge in COVID-19 cases happen from the Delta variant.
Philippine health authorities are bracing for the worst as the highly transmissible Delta hits neighboring countries and overwhelms hospitals there.
Some 35 infections from the variant had been reported so far, but officials admit that capacity for genome sequencing to detect more cases has remained limited.
Dr. Jose de Grano of the Private Hospital Association of the Philippines said they have increased bed capacity in their facilities.
But the challenge, he added, is getting more personnel to respond to the situation once cases begin surging again.
"Our limitation right now is the availability of our nurses and nursing staff," he told Laging Handa in Filipino. "When moderate and critical cases go up, that's when we will have a problem."
Millions in Metro Manila and four nearby provinces were forced to return to hard lockdowns in March to June due to an uptick in infections.
De Grano said they saw many nurses leave during those months, as the capital region's health care system was overwhelmed.
"That's why bed capacity in some hospitals decreased further," he continued, still in Filipino. "Other hospitals with fewer nursing staff had to downsize."
The PHAPi chief added that supplies on oxygen and ventilators remain stable so far, but a surge in critical cases from Delta could change this.
"We all know private hospitals' ICU facilities could not easily be expanded," said De Grano. "Before we do that, it would mean huge expenses. It would need additional equipment, space, and highly trained nurses and doctors."
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