QC hospital readies covered court for dengue cases

Faced with a continually growing number of dengue cases, a hospital in Quezon City is preparing to convert its covered court into an extra ward to accommodate patients. The Quirino Memorial Medical Center is planning to set up several folding beds inside the court, radio dzBB's Allan Gatus reported. The report said the hospital also used the covered court as a makeshift ward in 2009, when tropical cyclone "Ondoy" (Ketsana) ravaged parts of Metro Manila. For now, the report said the hospital is coping with an increasing number of dengue patients. An earlier dzBB report said doctors at the hospital had been forced to work overtime while beds in pediatric wards stretched to its hallways. In some cases, the doctors "borrow" nurses from other wards to attend to the dengue cases, the report added. As of Wednesday, the dzBB report said the Quirino Memorial Medical Center is handling at least 104 dengue cases. On the other hand, the hospital's pediatric ward has begun to overflow, with rows of folding beds stretching out to the hospital's hallway. Child patients suffering from dengue were forced to share beds, with up to four children in one bed, the report said. Many of the patients also complained of the hot and stuffy atmosphere in the hospital. Some hospital staff used electric fans to alleviate their condition. — LBG, GMA News