NCR LGUs to set up triage system for COVID-19 cases this week —DOH

Local government units in the National Capital Region will start operating their own triage system for COVID-19 cases this week, the Department of Health (DOH) said Monday amid a fresh surge in infections.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire explained that under this system, local health workers will assess whether patients need to be admitted to a hospital or a quarantine facility as part of a bid to decongest crowded emergency rooms.

“This is a layer that we are trying to include into the structure. We will cut the structure where, from the home or LGU, [patients go] straight to the hospital,” she said in a mix of English and Filipino during a DOH briefing.

The triage areas of local governments will be linked to ambulances and the One Hospital Command, a referral system for healthcare providers and medical transportation.

The DOH seeks the establishment of a triage system in all areas across the country. It also renewed its call for local governments to set up their own COVID-19 telemedicine hotline since the One Hospital Command is being swamped with up to 400 calls daily.

Vergeire also said the DOH has identified areas where 257 additional isolation beds can be set up.

Last month, the Department of Education also approved the use of some schools in Metro Manila as isolation facilities.

The DOH has also set up modular tents and hospital extensions to accommodate more patients amid the surge.

The Philippines has 795,051 infections with 646,100 recoveries and 13,425 deaths as of Sunday afternoon. —KG, GMA News