By GENALYN KABILING
President Duterte late Monday night directed hospitals to accept patients, including those suffering from suspected COVID-19, or else their officials may face possible suspension and prosecution.
The President warned the hospitals against turning away patients after receiving reports that a patient from Cabanatuan City died after being denied admission by six hospitals.
“Alam mo, you know guys, alam ninyo mali ‘yan. So ‘pag totoo ‘yan I will really ask the Justice department to prosecute you kasi alam ninyo na hindi puwede ‘yan especially the government hospital,” he said in a televised address.
“Kaya lahat na magkasakit, heart attack, appendicitis, pumutok ang kung anong puputok diyan, pumutok ‘yung utak, especially government hospital, my order is: Must accept admission. You fail on that, I will relieve all of you sa hospital and you can consider yourself suspended because the written order will follow,” he added.
Duterte has proposed the establishment of makeshift areas in hospitals to accommodate more patients.
“You could have just looked for a house there na ano o kuwarto kung saan adjunct diyan sa hospital at i-sanitize na ninyo at doon ninyo nilagay,” he said.
He insisted that there is no room for cruelty amid these trying times, saying the sick and the needy must be taken cared of.
“‘Yung minsan ‘yang cruelty, not at this time. We need to treat the sick, we have to feed our people and we need the frontliners, nurses, doctor, lahat, health workers, nakakapagtrabaho nang may kooperasyon sa inyo,” he added.
