The emergency room (ER) of East Avenue Medical Center (EAMC) in Quezon City has exceeded its capacity this week, its spokesperson said Wednesday, 6 August.

In a television interview, EAMC spokesperson Dr. John Paul Ner said the hospital's ER reached 138 percent occupancy as of Tuesday morning, 5 August.

“As of [Tuesday] 7 a.m., our patients in our emergency department are 207. Our authorized capacity in the emergency department is 150, so that is 138 percent of our bed capacity in the ER,” Ner said in Filipino.

He attributed the overcapacity to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s recent pronouncement of zero balance billing in Department of Health (DOH) hospitals and to the effects of the rainy season.

Ner noted a significant increase in leptospirosis cases at EAMC.

“Starting July, we had already seen 63 leptospirosis cases. Currently, we have a total of 49 currently admitted,” he added.

Despite the overcrowding, Ner assured the public that EAMC continues to implement a no-refusal policy.

On Monday, 5 August, the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) also urged the public to seek treatment elsewhere as its ER surpassed capacity due to an influx of patients. With over 300 patients packed into a facility designed for only 75, PGH’s ER has exceeded its capacity by 400 percent.

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa said 20 DOH-run hospitals in Metro Manila are ready to receive patients while PGH’s ER remains full.

Among the public hospitals under DOH supervision that patients can turn to are EAMC, National Children’s Hospital, Philippine Orthopedic Center, Quirino Memorial Medical Center, Lung Center of the Philippines, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine Heart Center, and Philippine Children’s Medical Center.

They may also go to the Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital, Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center, San Lazaro Hospital, and Tondo Medical Center in Manila.