Philippine Heart Center suspends visits with COVID-19 admissions up

The Philippine Heart Center (PHC) has suspended visits to patients amid the rising number of COVID-19 admissions in the facility.

According to Cedric Castillo's report on "24 Oras", this is to protect the patients and the health care workers.

"We have to reduce the risk by reducing the number of people coming in,” PHC Medical Services Deputy Executive Director Gerardo Manzo said.

(This is to protect our patients and workers. We have to reduce the risk by reducing the number of people coming in.)

“And unang inalis namin, visitors,” he said.

(We first disallowed visitors.)

Operations at the hospital returned to normal in February after the imposed lockdowns due to the pandemic. 

However, coronavirus infections have again increased, with cases reaching around 100 this month.

Manzo said the PHC’s utilization rate was still low and that its operations for patients with heart conditions remained normal.

He asked the public for understanding and said visitors would again be allowed once the situation improves.

“We’re not really afraid of COVID surge. The patients do not really get severely ill. Nobody is really critically ill. We have very few patients,” Manzo said.

“’Yung visitors, we are fully dependent on self-disclosure. Mahirap nang malusutan,” he added.

(As for the visitors, we are fully dependent on self-disclosure.)

The Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. (PHAPi) said some private hospitals implemented stricter measures against COVID-19 but none has suspended visitation so far.

The Department of Health previously said establishments have the authority to impose their health protocols. —Sundy Locus/NB, GMA Integrated News