The Quezon City General Hospital and Medical Center (QCGHMC) is set to convert a chapel as a COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) ward in response to the increasing demand for beds for severe COVID-19 cases.

The chapel, located inside the hospital compound, will be utilized as a 21-bed COVID-19 ICU to allow admission of more severe Covid-19 cases.

“Our COVID-19 ward and ICU has already reached its full capacity. With this extension facility, we hope to admit more COVID-19 patients who are in need of urgent and extensive treatment,” QCGHMC Director Dr. Josephine Sabando said.

The city is already in the process of assembling hospitals beds for the facility, as well procuring additional equipment such as patient monitors, high flow machines, and ventilators.

“Once we positioned the beds and received the machines, we can start assigning doctors and nurses in the extended facility and make it fully-operational,” Sabando explained.

Meanwhile, since the start of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in August 6, the Outpatient Department reverted back to teleconsult as the OPD was utilized as a makeshift quarantine facility for healthcare workers who were assigned to the COVID-19 ward.

“We have also reached full capacity sa ating non-covid ward and pediatric ward. Despite these, we will still admit urgent cases like trauma cases, vehicular accidents and acute cases of stroke as well as obstetric cases. Non-urgent cases should consult first through our teleconsult services para mai-schedule kung kinakailangan nila ng face-to-face consultation,” Sabando said.

QCGHMC also houses a nearly 300-bed quarantine facility at the 2nd and 3rd floor of Hope 4 (formerly old building). It also has a four-bed covid dialysis unit that caters to asymptomatic to severe COVID-19 confirmed renal patients.

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