Dapat umanong palakasin ng Pilipinas ang health care capacity nito dahil patuloy pang tumataas ang bilang critical patients ng bansa sa COVID-19.
Pahayag ito ng mismong regional director ng World Health Organization (WHO) sa Western Pacific na si Dr. Takeshi Kasai.
“I’ve seen also they are upgrading health services, increasing the number of health care facilities, number of beds, and also establishing intermediate facilities,” ani Kasai sa isang press briefing.
Hindi pa raw nakikita ng WHO regional office ang estado ng health care facilities sa bansa, pero natukoy umano nilang maraming pasyente ang ginagamot sa intensive care units (ICU).
“So far, we haven’t really seen the number has overwhelmed their healthcare facilities, but you see their positivity rate, …the number of people who are treated in ICU, is continuously increasing, so I think it is very important for the government to continue to improve this capacity.”
Batay sa datos ng Department of Health, as of August 17, nasa 51% ng ICU beds para sa COVID-19 sa buong bansa ang okupado.
Ang isolation beds naman ay nasa 47% ang occupancy, habang 53% ang sa ward beds. Sa hawak din na data ng ahensya, 10.35% ang positivity rate ng bansa.
“The Philippines is the country who introduced a lockdown in the very earlier stage of this pandemic. I am sure it prevented a significant number of infections and hence the number of people dying. And it prevented the healthcare facilities to be overwhelmed,” ani Kasai.
