BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The Center for Health and Development of Cordillera (DOH–CAR) is establishing a regional One Hospital Command Center (OHCC) to improve COVID–19 control, prevention and case management in the region.
The regional OHCC is patterned after the National OHCC set up by the DOH at the MMDA Complex which generally aims to improve health facility coordination and referral of suspect, probable and confirmed COVID-19 cases by establishing a system of transfer of patients to appropriate health facilities, as well as on the coordination of the provision of adequate medical transport and pre-hospital services.
The OHCC will also ensure rational utilization of medical care services in hospitals and other health facilities rendering care for COVID–19 patients by proper triaging of COVID–19 cases, DOH Health Emergency Management Bureau Health Policy Systems and Research Fellow Melanie June Pucay explained during the joint coordination meeting of the Cordillera Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Regional Task Force COVID–19.
Pucay reported that the target date of operation of the Regional OHCC is on October 23, and orientations of stakeholders are currently being conducted.
OHCC designated Command Center Manager, DOH – CAR Assistant Regional Director Amelita Pangilinan, in an interview shared that the Cordillera OHCC will put into one system the functions already being done by the DOH–CAR Emergency Operation System and the Health Emergency Management Services. It will work more on the referral of the confirmed COVID–19 cases because of the recent upsurge of cases and some of the region’s hospitals and Temporary Treatment and Monitoring Facilities (TTMFs) are already fully booked.
It will be a big help in COVID–19 case management because the primary goal of the Cordillera OHCC is to properly refer patients to hospitals and TTMFs with vacancies and taking into consideration the status of the patients, whether asymptomatic, mild, moderate or severe, as well as the provision of transport providers, if the patients need these, Pangilinan added.
The Cordillera OHCC will have strong coordination and linkages with the DOH Central and other regional OHCC, the Cordillera RTF COVID–19, regional line agencies, local government command centers, and private and government hospitals, among other stakeholders.** JDP/CCD-PIA CAR
