MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) resumed accepting COVID-19 patients today following Sunday’s fire that hit some sections of the hospital.
However, the hospital’s surgical services remain suspended as the fire hugely affected the critical operating rooms for delicate and advanced surgical procedures such as neurosurgery and heart transplantation.
Specifically, five sterilization units of the said ward have been affected. It is also where the hospital’s support system, such as surgical supplies, are stored.
PGH director Dr. Gerardo Legaspi said they are doing their best so that the facility can resume its normal operations as soon as possible.
“Ang malaking naapektuhan sa amin iyong aming kakayahang magbigay ng serbisyo sa pag-opera pero handa naman kaming mag-umpisa sa lalong madaling panahon para maituloy ito, maaaring hindi kasing-dami noong dati but slowly maghahanap po kami ng paraan,” he said.
Legaspi said they are now coordinating with other hospitals to augment critical surgery operations especially for patients with immediate surgical needs.
Dr. Legaspi noted that it would take at least three to four months before the fire-hit facility can return to normal operations.
“Pero hindi po namin hihintayin yun para makapag-opera ulit. Mayroon na pong mga collaborations na ginagawa with other hospitals and of course with the PGH system adjustments para maumpisahan na ang pag-opera on a regular basis,” he assured.
Meanwhile, the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) has no final result yet on its investigation into the incident though claims said the fire started from a defective electrical cable.
The PGH has asked donations for the repair and restoration of the damaged facility as Dr. Legaspi estimated the damaged facility to reach P50 million. MNP (with reports from Marvin Calas)
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