Red Cross tents augment NKTI needs as patients surge

MANILA – The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) put up emergency tents at the National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI) in Quezon City to augment occupancy surge.

The tents are in addition to the 100-bed capacity emergency field hospital at the nearby Lung Center of the Philippines.

“Ang mga pasyente at mga bantay nila, kung saan-saan na nakapwesto at natutulog, kakahintay na makapasok sa mga ospital (The patients and their companions are scattered everywhere while waiting for vacancies),” PRC chair and CEO Senator Richard Gordon said in a news release on Friday.

As of April 23, hospitals in Metro Manila have already exceeded the critical level of 70 percent capacity for Covid-19 patients, according to the PRC.

On April 6, 2021, NKTI released an advisory that there will be no direct admission of Covid-19 patients given the increasing number of infected and the limited bed allocation.

“All patients have to pass through the Emergency Room Services. Transfer of patients from other hospitals through the Emergency Room will not be allowed in the meantime even if classified as renal case,” the advisory read.

PRC’s 20-bed capacity emergency tents will have basic ward facilities to serve as an emergency room extension of NKTI.

“Hindi natin hahayaang dumami pa ang Pilipinong nasasawi nang hindi man lang na-aadmit sa ospital at nabibigyan ng atensyong medikal. Basta’t sama-sama, malalabanan natin ang Covid-19 (We will not allow more Filipinos to die without being admitted and treated. We will fight Covid-19 together),” Gordon said. (PR)