Cause of PGH fire still undisclosed to employees, patients
by Aianna Jennine Goyena
Authorities have yet to determine the official cause of the fire that engulfed weeks ago in an office at the Medicine Ward of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH).
At around 3 p.m. on March 13, a fire broke out in the audio-visual room at the back of the hospital wards, prompting staff, guardians, and patients to vacate the area.
Approximately 180 patients were evacuated, 43 of whom were from Ward 1, where a number of intubated patients were situated. The rest were from Wards 2, 3, and 4.
Hospital staff and caretakers ensured that they were safely managed during the incident. However, intubated patients were the last to be relocated due to the need for a consistent oxygen supply.
“Ang naging takot ko lang ‘yong sa nanay ko, hindi [siya] agad nabigyan ng oxygen ‘nong hinihingal, [kaya] tumaas [ang blood pressure],” said Mark Anthony, a guardian of a patient confined in the Medicine Ward.
At 7:30 p.m., all patients were brought back to their respective wards as permitted by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP). No medical equipment has been destroyed, but damages still amounted to P1.4 million.
BFP carried out inspections on the area afterward but has not yet given feedback on the investigation of the origin of the incident, a staff member says.
It can also be noted that P260 million in funding has been recently allotted for the hospital’s fire suppression and detection system, as urged by the fire that struck the hospital in 2021.
However, no significant progress has been observed in the utilization of the budget.
As of writing, no call for bidding has yet been published in the Philippine Electronic Procurement System or on the procurement websites of PGH and the University of the Philippines Manila. An invitation to bid is intended to inform interested parties to submit proposals on the project.
There is also no notice of award posted on the institutions’ platforms indicating that there is no chosen contractor for the project yet.
Following the incident, the Department of Health (DOH) already urged hospitals to revisit their fire evacuation plans and perform risk analyses for fire prevention.
Meanwhile, PGH has not yet released a statement regarding its plans.
