The country’s distinguished pharmaceutical company, Unilab, through its foundation’s Unilab Center for Health Policy (UCHP), is making strides in enhancing healthcare accessibility and efficiency.

On Tuesday, UCHP and the Philippine College of Emergency Medicine (PCEM) signed a memorandum of understanding, marking the beginning of a concerted effort to formally establish the One Hospital Command Center and Patient Navigation System.

According to Ruben “John” Basa, program director of UCHP, the system will first be developed for Department of Health-retained hospitals within the National Capital Region as part of its initial stage.

Basa said UCHP is a program of ULF that provides a platform for a collaborative and evidence-based policy laboratory in pursuit of the goals of universal health care.

It also demonstrates identified health service delivery models through pilot projects that are data-driven and grounded in expertise and experience.

The initiative with PCEM stems from an ideation workshop led by UCHP in November last year, which involved various hospital heads and healthcare providers.

PCEM's extensive experience and expertise, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, make it a valuable partner for this priority initiative.

“This project supports the eight-point agenda of DOH. It will guide setting up a patient navigation system essential for providing safe and high-quality healthcare, especially considering our limited health resources and the opportunities presented by healthcare informatics,” Basa disclosed.

The enhanced patient navigation system would include real-time data utilization, centralization, strengthened coordination, and improved staff capabilities, ensuring that Filipinos receive timely access to necessary medical services.

The initial step is developing a comprehensive roadmap aligned with DOH guidelines and the Universal Health Care Integration System (UHCIS).

“Emergency care is also part of UHC. The missing link is the system for implementation for better healthcare coordination; our current system needs to be improved in terms of interoperability. We need a solid national framework to refer patients to appropriate healthcare facilities to prevent mortality and morbidity,” said Dr. Jeremy Cordero, president of PCEM.