8 Metro Manila hospitals reach full capacity amid rising leptospirosis cases

National

LEPTOSPIRIS cases are climbing nationwide, with eight hospitals in Metro Manila already operating at full capacity for patients with the disease, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

Latest DOH data showed that East Avenue Medical Center has filled all 53 of its designated leptospirosis beds, including surge beds.

Quirino Memorial Medical Center and Tondo Medical Center have likewise reached capacity, with 24 and 23 leptospirosis patients, respectively. Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center has also filled its 17-bed allocation.

Four other DOH-retained hospitals have also reached their designated capacity based on their current leptospirosis admissions. These are Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center with 11 patients, Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital and the National Center for Mental Health with three each, and the Philippine Heart Center with one.

Despite the full capacity reported at eight facilities, the DOH said 128 beds remain available for leptospirosis patients across 12 of the 20 DOH hospitals in Metro Manila.

San Lazaro Hospital has the largest number of available beds at 34, followed by the Philippine Children and Medical Center with 26 and Las Piñas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center with 18.

The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine has 11 available beds, while the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) has nine. National Children’s Hospital has seven, Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium has six, and Rizal Medical Center and San Lorenzo Ruiz General Hospital have five each.

Valenzuela Medical Center has four available beds, while the Philippine Orthopedic Center has two and the Lung Center of the Philippines has one.

San Lazaro Hospital also recorded the highest number of current leptospirosis admissions at 86, followed by NKTI with 17 and Rizal Medical Center with 15. Together, the three hospitals accounted for 235, or 81.6 percent, of all current admissions.

The DOH stressed that continued inter-facility referral and coordination remain necessary particularly for hospitals already operating at or beyond their designated leptospirosis bed capacity.

Nationwide, the DOH has recorded 8,317 leptospirosis infections so far this year, 14 percent higher than the 7,280 cases reported last year.(MyTVCebu)