THE SOUTHERN Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), the biggest government-run hospital in Mindanao, issued an alert Wednesday evening on restricted admission at its emergency department due to a sudden increase in cases.
“We are experiencing an influx of patients in our Emergency Department,” the hospital located in Davao City said in a post on its official Facebook page.
“As such, we will only be able to accept severe and critical cases as of this time.”
SPMC did not say that the rush of emergency cases was due to coronavirus infections.
As of July 12, the latest available data from the hospital, it had 91 active coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases. Its intensive care unit beds allocated to COVID-19 cases were at 37.29% occupancy rate with 22 of 59 in use, while ward beds were at 51.74% with 104 of 201 occupied.
SPMC serves as the primary COVID-19 referral hospital for Davao City, which had 213 active cases as of June 13 data from the Department of Health’s tracker site.
Last week, Davao City COVID task force spokesperson Michelle B. Schlosser flagged the 30 new cases recorded on Wednesday, the highest daily log since March. The city had a total of 142 active cases as of July 6.
SPMC, a 1,500-bed hospital that caters to a wide area and provides specialized services, has asked partner medical institutions to strictly use the referral system to avoid further congestion.
“For our healthcare partners, please adhere to coordinated transfers by getting in touch with our National Patient Navigation and Referral Center,” it said.
SPMC has centers for cancer, burn, heart, and lung conditions, among others, which may not be available elsewhere in Mindanao.
It also operates a teleconsultation service from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays. — MSJ
