Father with COVID-19 symptoms went to 11 hospitals before being admitted

One son recounted the hardship they went through to get his father who has symptoms of COVID-19 to the hospital. The patient, who is from Metro Manila, arrived in Pampanga in search of a hospital.

In a report on GMA News “24 Oras” on Thursday, Melchie Garcia said that from Novalichez, Quezon City, they moved around the hospital 11 times on March 29 until they arrived in San Fernando, Pampanga but they still didn’t find any hospital accepting patient with COVID-19 symptoms.

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At that moment, his father reportedly had a fever, cough, and difficulty breathing.

They also tried to call the hotline “One Hospital Command Center” which helps patients looking for a hospital but they are still 32nd in line.

Later, their patient was admitted to a hospital in Valenzuela City but they first waited 12 hours.

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“Sabi ko, ‘Pa, lumaban ka. Kahit makarating tayong Batangas, Laguna, makahanap lang tayo ospital,” said Garcia.

What happened to Garcia is also happening to other COVID-19 patients who have difficulty finding a hospital because the hospitals are already full with the number of sick people.

The Department of Health had earlier said that the bed capacity of large hospitals in Metro Manila for COVID-19 patients is at a “high risk” level.

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Father with COVID-19 symptoms went to 11 hospitals before being admitted

As of Thursday, nearly 9,000 new COVID-19 cases were recorded in the country, and further swelled to 138,948 active cases, or patients being treated and in quarantine facilities.

The  of the Philippine Hospital Association (PHA) said Wednesday that the country already lost its battle against COVID-19 as hospitals are already “overwhelmed and overran.”

“Nangyayari na yung kinatatakutan nating mangyari [what we are fearing to happen is already happening],” Dr. Jaime Almora said in an interview on Unang Balita.

“Hindi tayo natatalo, natalo na [we’re not losing, we already lost],” he said, two days after the Philippines recorded 10,016 new cases in a day — a record-high number.

Almora said the hospital capacity is not as big a problem as its capability to treat patients, noting the facilities are experiencing a lack of manpower.

“Ibig sabihin kung wala silang capability, not necessarily wala silang capacity. Kung beds ang pag-uusapan, merong beds. Ang wala ay ang mag-aasikaso sa pasyente,” he said.