Our failing health system: Overcrowded hospitals, understaffed health clinics

In October, three major hospitals in Samar and Leyte asked patients to stop coming to their emergency rooms.

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North Samar’s Provincial Hospital was “in chaos” (Philippine News Agency, Oct. 27); the Samar Provincial Hospital was “overwhelmed” (Inquirer, Oct. 9), while on Oct. 5, the Regional Medical Center in Tacloban sent an advisory that its emergency room was 193% “over capacity.”

Epidemic? COVID’s return? None of that; there was no disease outbreak, just “an increase in common cases such as diarrhea, measles, respiratory infections, influenza-like illnesses and injuries from vehicular accidents” according to Samar health officials.