Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. on Monday filed a bill mandating all public and private hospitals and medical institutions to provide for “motorcycle medical emergency first responders”, in a bid to reduce emergency response time and improve health care in both rural and urban areas in the country.

In filing Senate Bill No. 1120, Revilla said there is an urgent need to provide a medical response to both medical patients and victims of vehicular accidents.

The lawmaker pointed out that with the worsening traffic situation in the country, emergency response is often delayed because ambulances are trapped in heavy traffic.

He also noted that in far-flung and mountainous areas, committed medical personnel have to walk long distances for several hours to reach the patients.

“Kada segundo, mahalaga sa pagliligtas ng buhay. Kaya dapat nating maabot yung mga kababayan natin na nasa malalayong lugar na di maabot ng mga eksperto, lalo na yung mga kailangan ng agarang pagtugon sa mga aksidente sa kalsada.(Every second is precious in saving lives. We need reach our countrymen in far-flung reach areas that are hard to reach by specialists, especially those who need immediate medical response in road accidents),” the senator said.

“Motorcycle ‘Rescue-in-Tandem’ first responders can radically reduce response time and improve patient care anywhere in the Philippines since they can offer easier navigation on the road by weaving through traffic,” Revilla added.