QCGHMC turns chapel into COVID-19 ICU
Due to the increasing demand for beds for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases at the Quezon City General Hospital and Medical Center (QCGHMC), its chapel will be converted to a COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU).
QCGHMC director Dr. Josephine Sabando said the hospital’s COVID-19 ward and ICU have already reached their full capacity which prompted them to utilize the chapel as COVID-19 ICU.
The chapel, which is located inside the hospital compound, will be utilized as a 21-bed COVID-19 ICU to allow admission of more severe COVID-19 cases.
“With this extension facility, we hope to admit more COVID-19 patients who are in need of urgent and extensive treatment,” Sabando said.
She added that the city government is already in the process of assembling hospital 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) last Aug. 6, the hospital’s Outpatient Department (OPD) 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.
The 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.
