One Hospital expands to cover other regions, says treatment czar

FILE Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s COVID-19 referral center is slowly being expanded to other regions to improve coordination between the national government and local authorities especially as infections spike in other parts of the country, an official of the Department of Health (DOH) said Wednesday.

The COVID-19 referral center, known as the One Hospital Command Center, connects and coordinates patients who need medical attention to hospitals and health care facilities.

Health Undersecretary and treatment czar Leopoldo Vega said the DOH has been receiving many calls outside of Metro Manila, prompting government to set up regional command centers in Calabarzon, Central Luzon, Southern Mindanao, and Caraga areas.

“Dahan dahan namin nire-regionalize,” he said in a Laging Handa public briefing when asked whether the scope of the government’s One Hospital Command Center extends outside of Metro Manila.

(We are slowly regionalizing it.)

“Nagre-regionalize na kami, dahan-dahan kaming bumababa para mas maganda ang coordination between the regional offices at saka hospital institions at saka national institutions,” he added.

(We are regionalizing it so that coordination between regional offices, hospital institutions, and national institutions will be better.)

Meanwhile, Vega said COVID-19 referral center in Metro Manila has improved, with the hiring of 80 additional personnel and transferring to a bigger location.

“Better na ‘yung facility namin ngayon at saka better ‘yung number of personnel at saka connectivity,” he said.

(Our facility is better now, as well as the number of personnel and connectivity.)

The referral center can be reached through hotline 1555, 02-886-505-00, 0915-777-7777, or 0919-977-3333.

EDV