One Hospital Command Center up in Bacolod

BACOLOD CITY, Sept. 19 (PIA) -- Bacolod City has adopted the One Hospital Command Center (OHCC), following its success in Cebu City during the height of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases there, for better management and use of information from Bacolod hospitals on COVID-19 cases.

The OHCC is an offshoot of the Emergency Operations Center based at the Bacolod Government Center, which will include a call center manned by agents for tele-consultation and education.

Teams under this center are also deployed to coordinate hospital admissions and out-of-town hospital transfers, as well as manage medical transport and data analytics.

Bacolod City officials led by mayor Evelio Leonardia and National Interagency Task Force-Visayas Chief Implementer Major General (Retired) Mel Feliciano met with Bacolod hospitals' medical directors Dr. John Alejano of Bacolod Queen of Mercy Hospital, Dr. Ma. Antonia Gensoli of Riverside Medical Center, Dr. Rafael Jocson of The Doctor's Hospital, Dr. Galileo Pabalinas of Bacolod Adventist Medical Center, and Dr. Rodolfo Nonato of South Bacolod General Hospital.

EOC deputy for medical Dr. Hector Gayares requested the medical directors to assign one hospital data officer who will provide relevant hospital data to the command system.

"It is very important to maintain the integrity of data - the timeliness, the accuracy, and all those other things. We can do this if there's a point person, a data officer we can call every now and so often. The numbers are there but we also need the story behind the numbers so we can put it in the analysis," Gayares told the medical directors.

Meanwhile, Feliciano also briefed the medical directors of the features of the EOC operations where the cooperation of hospitals is needed and he also expressed satisfaction over the performance and progress of the EOC.

Feliciano pointed out that he is expecting a "healthy curve" in the COVID-19 pattern in the city and that means the numbers could still rise before it goes down.

In support to the OHCC, the Sangguniang Panlungsod passed an ordinance creating the "Bacolod Healthcare Coordination Committee for COVID-19 Patients."

The creation of this new committee aims to facilitate the transmission of critical and medical information from Bacolod hospitals to the EOC on a daily basis where the data transmitted will be used in planning, monitoring, and resource allocation. *(LTP/EAD-PIA6 Negros Occidental)