FIRE broke out yesterday morning at the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) in Manila, the third blaze that hit the health facility operated by the University of the Philippines (UP) this year.
According to a report by the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), the fire broke out at around 6 a.m. and escalated to a second alarm 22 minutes later.
The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) declared the fire under control by 7:09 a.m.
No casualties were reported but the fire affected the PGH’s Out Patient Department and Audio-Visual Room.
The PGH was initially hit by a fire in March and again in April.
In a press conference yesterday, Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Teodoro Herbosa welcomed the speedy resolution of the fire incident.
“Luckily, the fire was put out immediately,” said Herbosa, adding the DOH is ready to assist the PGH through the hospitals under its control.
“We are ready to help, and DOH hospitals are ready to accommodate the patients that need to be moved. Our hospital chiefs are told to be ready to receive patients from the PGH,” said Herbosa.
In a related directive, the health chief said he has instructed all DOH-run hospitals to conduct an assessment of their respective establishments for possible fire hazards.
“We ordered them to identify the fire hazards in their hospitals,” said Herbosa.
There are currently 77 DOH-run public hospitals nationwide.
