AS the country continues to battle the threat of the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (Covid-19), a lawmaker has filed a bill institutionalizing emergency medical services system (EMSS).
In House Bill 5788, House Deputy Majority Leader and Las Piñas City Rep. Camille Villar said EMSS would constitute the comprehensive policy framework governing the provision of emergency medicine (EM) in each of the country’s local government units (LGUs).
Villar, citing the 2013 Asian Conference on Emergency Medicine, said the Philippines only has 3,300 recognized Emergency Medical Service (EMS) personnel, saying out of a reported 1,795 hospitals in the country, only 200 (or 11 percent) may be considered “emergency hospitals”—that is, facilities that are capable of providing quality EM care.
“Emergency medicine is a specialized discipline in the medical field focused on giving timely and coordinated health and safety services to victims of sudden illness or injury, prior to them reaching hospitals, health centers or other brick-and-mortar health-care facilities,” Villar said.
Villar added that creating more facilities would provide quality EM against the deadly virus.
“There’s still so much we don’t know about Covid-19 as far as treatment is concerned. But having a strong EMSS in the background can help save lives and ease the public’s paranoia on this new virus. As with any viral infection, the first few hours is always important and this bill ensures that we have the infrastructure to respond to it,” said Villar.
The bill mandates the creation of the National EMSS Advisory Committee, to be cochaired by the Department of Health and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
The committee will be tasked to establish a nationwide EMS network.
The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is also called on to develop a working system for a national emergency number, such as the 911 emergency hot line rolled out under the Duterte administration.
Under the proposal, local government units shall create their own Dispatch Centers with adequate and qualified personnel. The Dispatch Centers shall follow the prescribed guidelines on dispatch protocol.
It said all LGUs shall establish their respective Command Centers with designated qualified EMS medical director. Command Centers shall govern the EMS systems based on the prescribed operational guidelines. The Command Center can be colocated with the Dispatch Center.
The measure also ensures the availability of emergency transport vehicle or ambulance with qualified EMS personnel.