Senator Richard Gordon (File photo)
MANILA – Senator Richard Gordon, chairman and CEO of the Philippine Red Cross, has proposed putting up a command and control center to manage the rising number of positive coronavirus disease (Covid-19) cases and prevent further overwhelming the country’s healthcare system.
In an interview, Gordon said the command and control center should be centralized and with a hotline so that people who fear they might have been infected could call it first instead of going directly to hospitals.
“Dapat may command and control center na mag-a-address ng referral systems for both public and private na ‘yung capacity nila ay hindi mao-overwhelm (There should be command and control center that will address referral systems for both public and private so that their capacity will not be overwhelmed),” he said.
The center, he added, should have the necessary information so they could direct people, who may need to be admitted to hospitals or quarantine facilities, to institutions that could accommodate them.
He added that doctors or people with medical know-how or training should also be on hand to answer queries by callers who may suspect that they are showing Covid-19 symptoms.
“Definitely, di ba dapat meron center of clearing area tayo na pwedeng magsabi na sa QI, puno na dun ka na lang sa ano magpunta…’Yun ang kelangan ngayon, dapaat may hotline na mapapagtanungan kung anong gaggawin. At para di masaydong marami nag pupunta sa ospital, mag-isolate ka muna, kung kaya naman ng home quarantine based sa symptoms na dinisclose (Definitely, we should have center of clearing area which can say this hospital is full already and instead refer to other hospital, there should be hotline which can be used to guide patients if they need to be isolated or home quarantine, or hospital based on their symptoms),” Gordon said.
Gordon said that in the Red Cross, they put up the Covid call center last April and people who have symptoms or who were exposed to carriers, call up 1158, the PRC’s Covid hotline for queries.
He said ambulances for callers who need to be transported to hospitals are also arranged there, as well as schedule them for testing if needed.
He added that the Department of Health also has a similar hotline and called on the people to use them. (PR)
