MANILA (UPDATE) — The National Kidney and Transplant Institute on Wednesday advised the public to look for other hospitals as its emergency room had reached full capacity.

In an advisory signed by its executive director Dr. Rose Marie Rosete-Liquete, the NKTI said it was filled with patients on dialysis, including those with leptospirosis and COVID-19.

"Dahil dito ay puno na rin ang aming Emergency Room (ER) na sa kasalukuyan ay umaabot na sa 3x ng aming kapasidad. Ito ay sa dahilang wala na ring bakanteng kuwarto sa mga wards," the statement read.

(Our emergency room is also full and has reached triple its capacity. This is because there are no vacant rooms in the wards.)

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The Quezon City-based tertiary medical center also mentioned concerns on manpower.

“Dagdag pa rito ang kakulangan ng mga nurses sa NKTI na siyang isa sa mga pinakamalaking problemang hinahanap ng Kagawaran ng Kalusugan (DOH) sa buong bansa,” the NKTI added.

(This is due to the shortage of nurses at the NKTI, which is the biggest problem that the DOH faces nationwide.)

In response, the DOH said it was in close coordination with the NKTI to address the situation.

The agency has tasked Health Undersecretary Nestor Santiago to assess the situation and ensure incoming patients would be referred to nearby hospitals.

"Rest assured that the DOH is on top of this and will make sure that all patients seeking care will be accommodated. We will be providing more updates as we receive them," the agency said in a statement.

The public is advised to call the National Patient Navigation and Referral Center or One Hospital Command at 0919-977-3333; 0917-878-7418; (02) 886-505-00, PLDT-1555 (Option 2), 0915-777-7777.

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Meanwhile, private hospitals in Metro Manila that provide medical assistance to indigent patients are listed below.

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