Overcrowded Northern Samar hospital halts new admissions
TACLOBAN CITY—The Northern Samar Provincial Hospital (NSPH) has announced that it is now operating beyond its maximum bed capacity, prompting hospital officials to temporarily suspend new patient admissions.
In a public advisory issued on Saturday, NSPH chief of hospital Dr. Joseph Estanislao said that no beds were currently available for additional patients.
He appealed to partner health facilities and the public to refer only those in need of specialized or higher-level care to the provincial hospital.
“We also would like to request the health facilities to stabilize patients before dispatch,” Estanislao said, adding that cooperation from other facilities and the public would help ensure that critical and emergency cases receive the immediate attention they require.
Main facility
Located in the provincial capital of Catarman, NSPH serves as Northern Samar’s main referral hospital, catering to patients from various municipalities across the province.
The hospital has a licensed capacity of 150 beds, but is currently accommodating more than 360 patients, well beyond its limit.
According to Provincial Information Officer Arlyn Cui, the overcrowding stems from the influx of patients who bypass district hospitals and rural health units and go directly to NSPH, even for minor illnesses.
“NSPH is just a referral hospital, but most of the time, patients go directly there regardless of the seriousness of their ailments. They are still being accommodated, which causes the hospital to exceed its capacity,” Cui said in an online interview on Saturday.
Aside from NSPH, the provincial government also operates eight district hospitals across Northern Samar, each with a capacity ranging from 50 to 100 beds.
There are also rural health units accredited as primary care facilities that can handle basic treatments and birthing cases, Cui added.
Other government hospitals in Eastern Visayas, such as the Samar Provincial Hospital in Catbalogan City and the Eastern Visayas Medical Center in Tacloban City, have likewise reported operating beyond their bed capacities amid rising patient admissions in recent months.
