• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
Amidst complaints over the One Hospital Command (OHC) system of the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said that “we cannot just move away with it, but definitely we can improve it.”
This follows several complaints from patients and local chief executives who say that the system is in need of enhancement and a more coordinated approach.
In response, Lacson pointed out that even before the OHC’s implementation, the province was already grappling with complaints regarding patients not receiving prompt attention in emergency situations due to overcrowded emergency rooms. That challenge pushed the province into establishing the OHC.
“It’s not a perfect system, it is a continuing process and we definitely will find ways to improve it. I still feel it’s better than the previous situations,” Lacson added.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II previously said the OHC is a tool for organizing hospital referrals, while admitting that there were numerous cases where patients brought in by ambulance were refused admission for lack of referral.
“It is very clear, if it is an emergency case, there is no need for a referral,” Diaz stressed.
He explained that the OHC is just a computer programming application that allows them to determine what hospitals are filled up or empty, and how its personnel performed.
“It should not be used to say ‘No’ to our patients,” he pointed out, citing that the problem was not in the system but in implementation.
Earlier, Cadiz Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr., President of the Association of Chief Executives (ACE) in Negros Occidental, suggested that the province should fine-tune the system while Toboso Mayor Richard Jaojoco proposed its total scrapping.*
