The One Hospital Command Center (OHCC) has expanded its human resources to accommodate more calls from patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) needing referral for hospitalization or facility-based quarantine.

During a televised public briefing, Health Undersecretary and treatment czar Leopoldo Vega said the OHCC hired 80 personnel — eight of them are medical doctors while the rest are medical coordinators, IT staff and call center agents.

Two months ago, the center’s capacity was overwhelmed by the surge of calls as Covid-19 infections have increased.

“Better na po ‘yung aming facilities ngayon ([We] have better facilities now), better personnel, and better connectivity,” Vega said.

Apart from additional staff, the OHCC also added a hotline — 1555 — and landline numbers the public could call 24/7 along with other telecommunications equipment like PABx system and laptops.

“Nasa PICC [Philippine International Convention Center] na kami ngayon, doon sa isa mga meeting rooms at ginamit namin ito (We’re now at PICC, in one of its meeting rooms, we’re using it) as command center,” Vega said.

As calls outside Metro Manila continue to increase, Vega reported the OHCC has started setting up regional command centers.

“So, ang una naming ginawa ‘yung regional command [center] sa Region 4A at saka Region 3 at gumawa na rin kami ng regional command [center] sa Mindanao, lalo na sa (we first established the regional command center in Region 4A and Region 3 then in Mindanao especially in) Southern Mindanao and Caraga area,” he said.

He added there is already a discussion on the establishment of a new OHCC in North Cotabato as patients with Covid-19 in Region 12 need services and critical care from hospitals in Region 11 like Southern Philippines Regional Medical Center and Davao Regional Medical Center. (PNA)