Gov’t launches hospital command center
The command system will likewise establish a standard data collect application and bed tracker where the information will be shared among hospitals and the Department of Health
The government on Thursday launched its central command system for patients’
referral to decongest hospitals amid the rising COVID-19 cases.
Dubbed as the “One Hospital Command” Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said that it will be a coordinated system in transferring patients to nearby hospitals with available facilities.
“This concept has been conceptualized since the early part of July and we are so happy that everybody chipped in terms of resources and efforts,” he said.
Most patients with moderate symptoms are eyed to be transferred as many of them are queued in emergency rooms, Vega said.
He said the command system will likewise establish a standard data collect application and bed tracker where the information will be shared among hospitals and the Department of Health (DoH) through a national database.
Under the “One Hospital Command,” Vega explained that agencies such as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority will be notified by patients either through downloading the pure force application, contacting their hotlines, or accessing the QR code for any assistance in finding available facilities.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said that this system will ensure treatment among all levels of cases by transferring patients as soon as needed.
Duque emphasized that it is important to establish a seamless delivery of hospital care through monitoring the capacity rate among facilities.
“If a particular hospital is overwhelmed then that hospital will be decongested by opening up or by a clear referral patient navigation system so that there will be a clear actualization of patient distribution and occupancy,” he said.
At present, data from DoH showed that the occupancy nationwide for ICU, ward and isolation beds is at more than 50 percent while 31 percent are among ventilators.
However, the National Capital Region had the highest record of occupancies as 70 to 80 percent of all of its beds are in use.
National Task Force chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. said that there is really a need for the said mechanism at it will help the government in efficiently overseeing the coordination and referral of patients across all health facilities and ensure we have enough hospital beds for moderate and severe cases.