The Office of the Vice President (OVP) is embarking on what it called bayanihan (community spirit) e-konsulta program, which aims to set up an e-consultation system for outpatient cases within the National Capital Region Plus (NCR Plus) bubble to decongest the surge of patients in hospitals and clinics.
In a Facebook post Monday night, Vice President Leni Robredo made a call to volunteer doctors and telephone operators.
The doctors must be “available to do phone consultations for outpatient cases within NCR and surrounding areas covered by the ECQ” while the telephone operators “will receive and process requests concerning outpatient cases residing in NCR and surrounding areas covered by the ECQ and match them with volunteer doctors for phone consultations.”
The post from the OVP said that telephone operators are preferred to have backgrounds in nursing or other health professions, even if they are no longer working in the health care industry.
Robredo admitted that there were apprehensions within her staff about the program because of the limitations of their resources and the idea that it might raise expectations.
But she said, “Kailan pa tayo nagpapigil sa takot na masisi? (Since when did we stop ourselves from helping others because we are afraid to be blamed?)”
“Kung may maitutulong tayo— kung makakapagligtas tayo ng kahit na isang buhay— hindi ba dapat gawin natin ang lahat, tanggapin ang anumang sisi o atake, akuin ang responsibilidad? Kung makakatulong tayo, at alam natin in our heart of hearts na wala tayong ibang intensyon kundi tumulong, bakit hindi natin itutuloy? (If we can help—if we can save even just one life—shouldn’t we do everything, accept all the blame and attacks, embrace the responsibility? If we can help, and we know in our heart of hearts that we have no other intention but to help, why shouldn’t we do it?),” Robredo added.
The vice president and her team consulted with doctors and experts over the Holy Week before coming out with this newest program.
Recognizing that her office cannot provide hospital beds or build field hospitals, Robredo harnessed the bayanihan spirit that Filipinos are known for.
“With the help of volunteers, nag-iisip kaming maglunsad ng inisyatiba na hindi lang makakatulong sa mga mahihirap na walang pambayad sa doktor, pero sana ay makatulong din sa pag-iwas ng lalong pagdami ng mga taong pumupunta sa ospital (we were thinking of launching an initiative that will not only help the poor who cannot pay for a doctor, but hopefully will help to prevent the influx of people going to hospitals),” she said.
Robredo said this is to answer the calls of many on social media about patients not being able to find a hospital that can accommodate them because the facilities in NCR are in full capacity.
It’s not only ordinary citizens who are having a hard time finding hospitals beds in Metro Manila. Singer Claire Dela Fuente died outside the emergency room while waiting to get accommodated. Even former President Joseph Estrada had to wait in the emergency room before being admitted because the hospitals are swamped with patients.
Reports on social media said that some families from Metro Manila drive as far as Sorsogon to find a hospital for their loved ones.
The surge in COVID-19 cases is overwhelming hospitals as even non-COVID-19 patients are now having a hard time finding a hospital that can accommodate them. This is despite the fact that the Department of Health (DOH) maintains the hospital utilization rate in NCR for intensive care units (ICU) is only around 79 percent.
Robredo promised more information for the volunteers and the public in the days to come.