A team of Israeli experts visited today (July 29) the One Hospital Command Center (OHCC), the country’s health facility referral center, amid preparations to further respond to the Delta variant threat.
The foreign team who arrived earlier this week have been participating in meetings with Department of Health (DOH) and COVID-19 task force officials regarding pandemic response.
DOH Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said among the agenda of the discussion are improvement plans for the OHCC, adding that the country is prepared to adopt experts’ suggestions.
“May mga experience sila gaya sa’tin lalo, na sa pag-manage ng emergency rooms at setup ng holding areas para ma-decongest,” Vega said in an interview.
He added that the Israeli team also had experience on intensive care utilization (ICU) setup which is usually challenged when there is a rise in cases.
The Israeli experts also visited hospitals in the National Capital Region and established modular hospitals that augment the country’s health capacity.
Dr. Bernadette Pua Velasco, OHCC operations manager, said they have already established a plan in case of a surge due to the Delta variant.
“Right now, we have surge plan capacity. We are augmenting ‘yung mga ibang naka off duty para lang ma-increase natin ‘yung mga number ng call takers natin at coordinators to accommodate more calls and ma-facilitate yung needs nila,” Velasco said.
Vega said NCR’s hospital utilization rate is at 47% which is not yet a cause for concern.
“We’re readying ourselves and we hope that in the prevention side kailangan talaga nating ma-implement itong ating minimum public health standards,” he said. – Report from Kenneth Paciente/AG-rir
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