An official of the Department of Health (DOH) believes that the One Hospital Command Center (OHCC) should remain operational even after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
DOH Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said that the OHCC has been very helpful in facilitating patient referrals and providing other medical services.
“Ang laki talaga ng tulong ng One Hospital Command. In fact, ito ang nagbibigay talaga ng proper referral and coordination across the country, hindi lang dito sa Metro Manila, nagtayo na din kami ng regional One Hospital Command (The One Hospital Command is really a big help. In fact, it really provides proper referral and coordination across the country---not only here in Metro Manila, but we have also set up a regional One Hospital Command),” said Vega in a radio interview on Sunday, Feb. 20.
The OHCC will still be useful even if the pandemic is over, especially in responding to other medical scenarios other than COVID-19.
“Halimbawa, isang tao sa Mindanao nangangailangan ng heart surgery at hindi kakayanin sa isang lugar, pwede na kaagad naming ma-refer sa ibang hospitals (For example, a person in Mindanao needs heart surgery and it can't be done in a certain place, we can immediately refer him to another hospital),” he said.
“Kaya ito pinapalakas namin thru information technology yung connectivity of all regions and malalaking hospitals (So, we are strengthening this through information technology as well as the connectivity of all hospitals in all regions) for close coordination and referral for patients,” he added.
Vega said that they already asked lawmakers to “institutionalize” the OHCC.
“Inano na namin sa Congress committee on health para magkaroon ng bill para sa One Hospital Command para ma-institutionalize kasi ang laking gamit po nito lalo na sa interconnectivity ng mga pasyente at hospitals (We have asked the Congress committee on health to come up with a bill for the One Hospital Command to institutionalize this because it's a huge help, especially in the interconnectivity of patients and hospitals),” he said.