AS CORONAVIRUS infections continue to increase in the Visayas and Mindanao, hospitals and medical facilities there have been directed to designate more beds for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients.

In a virtual press briefing Friday, June 11, 2021, Department of Health (DOH) Undersecretary Abdullah Dumama Jr. said local DOH units have been directed to visit the hospitals and review their surge capacity plans.

Government hospitals were asked to increase Covid-19 beds to 50 percent while private hospitals were asked increase their dedicated Covid-19 beds to 20 to 30 percent.

He said they were also enhancing the capacities of temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMFs) in the regions.

"The total TTMF beds is already at 88,000 in total, although there are still some regions that fail to meet the one bed per 1,000 population ratio," he said.

Dumama also said they were addressing the need for healthcare workers by doing emergency hiring, including deputizing doctors to priority Level 2 hospitals and TTMFs. (HDT / SunStar Philippines)