PGH stops accepting PUIs

THE Philippine General Hospital (PGH) will no longer accept persons under investigation ( PUIs) and patients with mild symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) to give priority to positive cases.

Dr. Jonas del Rosario, the hospital’s spokesman, said the government hospital would only accept those with moderate to severe

symptoms to avoid “overburdening” the facility.

“Starting today (Tuesday) wala na pong PUI ( we won’t accept

PUIs),” del Rosario said in a radio interview.

“Angmandatonapong PGH ay tumanggapng Covid-19 positive namay moderate to severe symptoms. (The PGH’s mandate is to accept Covid-19 positive patients with moderate to severe symptoms),” he added.

Del Rosario urged PUIs and patients with mild symptoms of the respiratory disease to go to other hospitals.

There are around 70 PUIs at the hospital and 23 positive patients.

The PUIs are in the Covid-19 ward that can only accommodate 130 patients.

Del Rosario said the confined PUIs would remain in the facility until they get better or tested negative.

He said the hospital was trying to conserve its personal protective equipment (PPE) stock because it uses around 500-600 PPE a day.

“K ail an gang tip ir in[ an gP PE ]. Kay an ga po min sandi mas ya do u min o mn gtu big an gm ga tao para hindi na[ pu mun ta sat oil etat]u mi hi… tap os main it pa

ang PPE, kayaminsannade-dehydrate (That is why we have to conserve the PPE. Our personnel do not drink too much water so that they won’t have to go to the toilet),” he added.

The shortage of PPE was also a major consideration in the calculation of the hospital capacity, according to del Rosario.

The Department of Health on Monday said it bought 1 million sets of PPE worth P1.8 billion for health workers, but these have yet to be delivered.

Meanwhile, a surgeon at the PGH died on Tuesday due to complications of the coronavirus disease.

Dr. Leandro Resurreccion 3rd, 57, a pediatric transplant surgeon, died at 6:25 a.m., his son announced in a Facebook post.

“There were no hugs, there were no kisses and there were no goodbyes,” Leandro Castillo Resurreccion 4th posted. “As a matter of fact, the last time I saw him, he was still able to smile. It gives you a kind of heartbreak that I cannot even explain.”