Hospital referral center ‘overwhelmed,’ swamped with 300 calls daily amid COVID surge

Facade of the DOH main office in Manila. INQUIRER.net file photo / Consuelo Marquez

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health’s (DOH) referral system for hospitals has been swamped with as much as 300 calls daily, overwhelming its personnel, treatment czar and Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said Tuesday.

In a televised briefing, Vega said the number of calls the One Hospital Command receives have increased from 66 calls daily to 300 calls daily when the number of COVID-19 cases spiked.

“Alam mo, pagdating po ng surge, dumami po ang tawag namin, na-overwhelm din ang aming capacity sa One Hospital Command,” Vega said.

(When the surge happened, the calls we received also increased, our capacity was overwhelmed in the One Hospital Command.)

“Alam niyo, siguro mga three weeks ago, mga 66 calls lang kami for a day, average. Pero ngayon po, nakakaabot na kami ng mga 300 calls a day,” he added.

(Three weeks ago, we only had an average of 66 calls daily but now, we are reaching 300 calls a day.)

To address this, Vega said they are hiring more personnel to improve their services.

The One Hospital Command was established to refer to the public medical facilities that still have capacity to accommodate patients.

Those in need of medical attention may contact One Hospital Command via contact numbers 0919-977-3333, 0915-777-7777 and (02) 88650500. ###

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JPV