Joselito Malig

The facade of the Philippine General Hospital in Manila on May 5, 2021. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Marilyn Cahatol

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:944px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/175430487969820210505-pgh-facade-GC-6237.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="The facade of the Philippine General Hospital in Manila on May 5, 2021. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">The façade of the Philippine General Hospital in Manila on May 5, 2021. <em>George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News/File</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA <strong>(UPDATED) </strong>-- The Philippine General Hospital (PGH), one of the largest government hospitals in the country, is currently operating under extreme emergency conditions as its emergency room exceeds capacity by 400%, with more than 300 patients crammed into a facility designed for only 75.</p><p>&quot;Nais naming ipaalam sa inyo na ang aming Emergency Room ay kasalukuyang higit na sa kapasidad dahil sa mataas na bilang ng mga pasyenteng dumarating,&quot; PGH said in a Facebook post.</p><p>The hospital noted that its ER would temporarily not accept patients, except those in critical condition.</p><p>&quot;Sa ngayon, hinihikayat namin kayong maghanap muna ng ibang ospital na maaaring magbigay ng agarang serbisyo sa inyo,&quot; it added.</p><p>Dr. Jonas Del Rosario, PGH spokesperson and coordinator for public affairs, confirmed the alarming situation in an exclusive interview.</p><p>&quot;The emergency room of PGH is one of the biggest in Metro Manila. Our capacity is about 75 beds. For an emergency room, malaki na iyon,&quot; he explained.</p><p>But in recent days, that number dramatically surged.</p><p>&quot;Over the past 3 to 4 days, parang biglang tumaas iyong numero. Pumalo na po kami ng 300 patients. So that&#x27;s 400% over capacity,&quot; said Del Rosario.</p><p>&quot;As of the last census, marami pong mga pasyente ang nakatayo, marami po ay nag-se-share ng stretcher at ang medyo mabigat pong problema ay ubos na po iyong oxygen ports,&quot; he added.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/business/2025/3/27/dbm-approves-more-than-1-200-additional-positions-for-pgh-1523">DBM approves more than 1,200 additional positions for PGH</a></div><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/health-science/2025/6/27/new-specialty-center-breaks-ground-in-pgh-2213">New specialty center breaks ground in PGH</a></div><p>The hospital is now on &#x27;Code Triage&#x27;, a protocol that limits admission to only the most critically ill patients.</p><p>Among the causes for the sudden influx, Del Rosario pointed to extreme weather conditions that causes flooding which, in turn, causes an increase in infectious diseases such as leptospirosis and pneumonia, along with a surge in cases involving sepsis, stroke, and complications from chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart, and kidney disease.</p><p>&quot;Nagkaroon tayo ng ilang araw na masungit na panahon. Umuulan, bumabagyo. Sa Maynila, bumaha. So may mga pasyente kaming nagka-leptospirosis. Marami hong nagkaroon ng lower respiratory tract infection, pneumonia. Ang sabi sa akin ng mga ER doctors kanina, marami rin po iyong may sepsis,&quot; Del Rosario said.</p><p>Adding pressure to the overwhelmed facility are patients transferred from smaller public and private hospitals, often without prior coordination.</p><p>The hospital&#x27;s immediate concerns include limited oxygen ports and beds, forcing departments to treat patients outside their specializations.</p><p>&quot;For the past 2 to 3 days, nag-meeting po lahat ng mga departamento. Tiningnan po ang kanilang mga wards, lahat po ng may mga bakanteng bed. Iyong department of OBGYN, tatanggapin niya na iyong sakit na dapat ay napunta sa internal medicine para lang maipasok. Despite that, puno pa rin iyong mga emergency rooms,&quot; said Del Rosario. </p><p>In an attempt to accommodate patients, hospital corridors have been converted into makeshift wards, and nurses have been redeployed to critical areas.</p><p>Still, the emergency room remains saturated. PGH is urging patients with non-critical conditions, such as mild respiratory symptoms, headaches, and manageable gastrointestinal illnesses, to seek treatment elsewhere or visit outpatient clinics.</p><p>Del Rosario also made a plea to referring hospitals, especially those from nearby provinces, to coordinate patient transfers properly.</p><p>As of Monday, long queues continue outside PGH&#x27;s ER, with patients waiting hours for admission, if they get admitted at all. Triage assessments are being strictly enforced to ensure only the most urgent cases are given entry.</p><p>PGH is the biggest state-funded hospital in the Philippines, catering to over 600,000 patients annually, based on its website.</p><p>It is also designated as a national referral center for patients in need of specialized care and treatment.</p><p>As a university hospital, its budget from the government is appropriated under the name of the University of the Philippines.</p><div><strong>DOH, GOCC HOSPITALS TO ACCEPT PATIENTS FROM PGH</strong></div><p>In a separate statement, Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said Department of Health (DOH) and other government owned hospitals will be accepting patients from PGH.</p><p>“Bukas at handa ang mga DOH hospital pati na rin ang apat na GOCC hospitals para tanggapin ang mga pasyenteng hindi muna matatanggap sa UP-PGH dahil sa panandaliang pagkapuno ng ER nito,&quot; he said.</p><p>The following hospital will be accepting patients from PGH:</p><div><strong>CALOOCAN</strong></div><p>*Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium</p><div><strong>LAS PIÑAS</strong></div><p>*Las Pinas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center</p><div><strong>MALABON</strong></div><p>*San Lorenzo Ruiz General Hospital</p><div><strong>MANDALUYONG</strong></div><p>*National Center for Mental Health</p><div><strong>MANILA</strong></div><p>*Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital</p><p>*Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center</p><p>*San Lazaro Hospital</p><p>*Tondo Medical Center</p><div><strong>MARIKINA</strong></div><p>*Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center</p><div><strong>MUNTINLUPA</strong></div><p>*Research Institute for Tropical Medicine</p><p>PASIG</p><p>*Rizal Medical Center </p><div><strong>QUEZON CITY</strong></div><p>*East Avenue Medical Center</p><p>*National Children&#x27;s Hospital</p><p>*Philippine Orthopedic Center</p><p>*Quirino Memorial Medical Center </p><p>*Lung Center of the Philippines</p><p>*National Kidney and Transplant Institute</p><p>*Philippine Heart Center</p><p>*Philippine Children&#x27;s Medical Center</p><div><strong>VALENZUELA</strong></div><p>*Valenzuela Medical Center</p><div><br/></div><div><br/></div>

<p>The Philippine General Hospital on Monday afternoon said its emergency room is currently operating over its capacity and advised the public to seek medical help at other hospitals.</p>

The Philippine General Hospital on Monday afternoon said its emergency room is currently operating over its capacity and advised the public to seek medical help at other hospitals.

PGH ER operating in ‘overcapacity’; public urged to find other hospitals

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PGH ER operating in ‘overcapacity’; public urged to find other hospitals

Marilyn Cahatol,

ABS-CBN News

Published Aug 04, 2025 06:20 PM PHT

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Updated Aug 04, 2025 09:40 PM PHT

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