Tabuk City, Kalinga – A number of patients at the Kalinga Provincial Hospital, the core referral medical facility in Kalinga, had to occupy hallways as the hospital currently admits 200 individuals, twice the number of its 100-bed capacity.
Being a government hospital which provides affordable and departmentalized services to the public, KPH attends to a herd of patients, not just from Kalinga but also from neighboring provinces, every day, from emergency, outpatient, to admission.
KPH Chief Nurse Ida Ganggangan, in an interview with GURU Press Cordillera, said that there are 206 patients admitted at the hospital as of August 26, 2025, mostly due to Community-acquired Pneumonia. On the other hand, the Outpatient Department (OPD) usually caters to more than 200 patients daily; thus, the a long queue of individuals at the said department.
“Our bed capacity is only 100, so that is double our capacity. Isu nga ag-aisle kamin tapnu lang ma-accommodate diay dadduma. Ti OPD tayo ket more than 200 daily,” she informed, citing the hospital census.
KPH Supervising Administrative Officer Raymond Palicas emphasized that every person has the privilege and right to be hospitalized, saying, “We cannot deny providing service… we cannot deny the privilege and rights of the patients to be hospitalized, ket we can still remedy that situation even beyond our outright capacity ket we need to admit them.”
Palicas added that the health professionals and KPH personnel, despite the influx of patients every day, are doing the best they can to attend to every patient efficiently. This could be seen in the 2-3 days average stay of most patients at the hospital, which indicates a fast recovery of patients.
“Based on our statistical report, generally, kasla nga 3 days ti kaatidugan nga length of stay ti maysa nga pasyente nga na-confine. Ket we are very thankful for that. Kayat na saoen nga makitam met ti efficiency ti panag-cater ti hospital to our patients,” he explained.
KPH asking for understanding
While the hospital and the outnumbered health professionals adjust, Palicas asked for the public’s patience and understanding as the KPH is doing its best and its part to deliver affordable and efficient health care to every patient coming to their door.
“kayat mi nga idanun ti publiko ket agiinnanus tayo. They should also understand our situation nga agkurang tayo ti bed but we can still remedy… Diay lang ti kasla dawat mi ti tao ta nu makaanus da la ketdi nga ma-confine ditoy nga using the hallways. Ti importante ket mai-provide ti services in accordance with what they’re expecting of us,” he said.
With the number of patients being confined mostly for Community-acquired Pneumonia, KPH Chief of Hospital, Dr. Rey Aranca, reminded the public of taking good care of their health and taking preventive measures against diseases.
“As to the increase of patients, especially for Community-acquired Pneumonia, diay kuma prevention. It should be a collaborative effort tapnu bumassit ti cases tayo nga kakastoy,” Aranca reminded.
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