One Hospital Command, COVID-19 referral center, swamped with up to 300 calls a day

The number of calls to the One Hospital Command (OHC), a referral system for healthcare providers and medical transportation, has increased amid a fresh surge in COVID-19 cases, a health official said Friday.

Treatment czar Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said the OHC now receives 280 to 300 calls per day. Just a month ago, it only got an average of 66 calls daily.

Vega said the lack of technology for call forwarding had been hampering the OHC’s services.

“If and when it keeps on ringing, it only means that the cellphone that they are calling is actually engaging with a patient because it takes time actually to provide medical direction,” he said in a briefing.

Vega also said the DOH has been trying to activate its 1555 hotline that will send calls directly to the agency’s call center.

He vowed improvements to the OHC’s technology to better accommodate callers.

Meanwhile, Vega reported that the country’s healthcare utilization rate is still at “low risk” at 41%.

In Metro Manila, however, 78% of isolation facilities and 73% of intensive care unit beds have been occupied.

The Philippines logged a record-high 9,838 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, bringing the tally to 702,856 with 580,689 recoveries and 13,149 deaths. -NB, GMA News