MANILA – The Ospital ng Tondo in Manila is temporarily closed after 32 of its medical frontliners were confirmed positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
In a radio interview on Friday, Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso announced that the hospital will be closed for 10 days.
Domagoso said he was informed of the situation at the hospital by its director, Dra. Myrna Lacson-Paloma late Thursday.
“May request ang aming director sapagkat meron kaming 32 patient na doctor at nurses ng aming sariling ospital. Para maka relax, ma ease ‘yung burden na ang pasyente ay doctor na rin, ang pasyente ay nurse na rin, mabigyan sila ng panahon na maka recover (we have a request from our director because we have 32 patients who are doctors and nurses from the same hospital. This is to at least relax the situation because the patients are the doctors and the nurses themselves. This is to give them time to recover),” Domagoso said.
He added that currently, most of these health care workers are recovering.
Domagoso said the hospital will not be accepting any new patients while it is closed, except for emergency life and death situations.
Otherwise, other new patients will be directed to the other five public hospitals in the city namely the Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center, Justice Jose Abad Santos General Hospital (JJASGH), Ospital ng Maynila, Ospital ng Sampaloc, and the Sta. Ana Hospital.
Covid-19 patients who are currently admitted to the Ospital ng Tondo will stay and continue to be taken care of.
Meanwhile, the Ospital ng Maynila which was earlier closed as well as the JJASGH which were earlier closed for OB patients are now both open and are accepting patients.
Deep and thorough sanitation and disinfection activities will be conducted at the Ospital ng Tondo during its closure.