DoH creates referral system for patients
Patients will only be referred with their name, case and all the details and this incident command will look for a facility where they can be transferred among all the hospitals here in Metro Manila and is going to be mirrored in the different regions of
As the number of cases continues to increase with hospitals nearing full capacity, the Department of Health (DoH) on Wednesday said that it will be implementing a “One Hospital Command” system to manage the number of patients.
In the media briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that this new protocol will amend the number of allocated beds for COVID-19 as well as setting up a new referral system among hospitals.
“In this One Hospital Command, both public and private hospitals will work together and will form a huge network to create a referral system for us to manage the number of patients so that all can access our facilities for their needed care,” she said.
It refers to a system of coordination between facilities where patients will be transferred to hospitals with available capacity.
“Patients will only be referred with their name, case, and all the details and this incident command will look for a facility where they can be transferred among all the hospitals here in Metro Manila and is going to be mirrored in the different regions of the country,” she said.
Vergeire said that it likewise urged hospitals to form agreements between hospitals and temporary treatment and monitoring facilities for their recovered, mild, and asymptomatic patients to proceed in order to quarantine.
She explained that this a measure adopted to not overwhelm the capacities in hospitals where preferably only severe, critical, and those with comorbidities should be admitted.
Initially, the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) was the first hospital to adopt this system upon entering an agreement with the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) which is now being followed also by other facilities.
Meanwhile, Vergeire said that the DoH has also ordered public hospitals to augment their capacity designated for COVID-19 patients by 50 to 70 percent while private hospitals will add 10 percent of their allocated beds should there be a surge of infections.
She also said that DoH is also coordinating with other agencies to grant incentives in order to ensure a uniform expansion followed by all hospitals in the country.
In this One Hospital Command, both public and private hospitals will work together and will form a huge network to create a referral system for us to manage the number of patients so that all can access our facilities for their needed care.
In addition, Vergeire said that hospitals that are set to open new wings and buildings in their facilities which are supposedly for other services will now be allocated as well for coronavirus cases.