The Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila has offered to accommodate patients from the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) in Quezon City as the latter reaches full bed capacity amid a surge in leptospirosis cases.
Palace press officer Claire Castro on Tuesday said the PGH, which is operated by the University of the Philippines (UP), to receive non-leptospirosis patients from NKTI.
This would allow NKTI as a government-run speciality center to focus its capacity on leptospirosis patients requiring specialized renal care.
‘This reflects our institutions’ longstanding partnership and shared commitment to timely, appropriate care for every patient-regardless of which facility they first approach,’ the PGH said in a statement.
On Sunday, the NKTI announced that walk-in admissions will be subject to limitations ‘until further notice’ to prioritize patients requiring emergency care and admission due to the surge in leptospirosis cases and high patient volume in its emergency room.
The NKTI’s emergency room can only accommodate up to 64 patients at a time.
Patients requiring urgent and critical medical interventions will be prioritized.
It also advised patients seeking elective or non-emergency admission to coordinate with their attending physician and consider other healthcare facilities with available bed capacity to avoid prolonged waiting times.
To prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed by a surge of leptospirosis cases, the Department of Health (DOH) said all hospitals facing bed capacity concerns can coordinate with the Health Emergency Management Bureau’s Operation Center for patient navigation.
At least 33 DOH hospitals in the National Capital Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and Cordillera Administrative Region have also established express lanes to specifically handle cases of leptospirosis.
As of Aug. 22, the DOH has recorded a total of 4,285 cases of leptospirosis across the country, up from the 3,440 cases recorded as of Aug. 8.
‘Further increase in leptospirosis cases is expected, especially given that leptospirosis has an incubation period of five to 15 days,’ the agency warned.
The DOH urged the public to observe key health precautions against leptospirosis, urging individuals to avoid unnecessary contact with floodwater, especially if they have open wounds.
If flood exposure is unavoidable, the hospital advised taking doxycycline prophylaxis as recommended by a primary care physician.
Free doxycycline capsules are provided by local government units through barangays, Rural Health Units, or through the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation’s Yaman ng Kalusugan Program
Authorities also urged the public to seek immediate medical consultation should symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, or headache develop following exposure to floodwaters.