By CESAR JOLITO III
Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson ruled out the total scrapping of the One Hospital Command (OHC) System, saying the provincial government is instead focused on improving and strengthening its implementation amid mounting complaints from patients and local chief executives.
Lacson acknowledged the concerns raised over the hospital referral system but stressed that abandoning OHC would not solve long-standing problems in the province’s healthcare delivery.
“We cannot just move away from it, but definitely we can improve it,” Lacson said, noting that OHC was created in response to persistent issues even before its rollout, particularly overcrowded emergency rooms and delays in patient care.
The governor said the system, while imperfect, remains better than the previous setup, where emergency patients were often left waiting due to a lack of coordination among hospitals.
“It’s not a perfect system. It is a continuing process, and we will definitely find ways to improve it. I still feel it’s better than the previous situation,” he added.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II earlier clarified that OHC is primarily a tool to organize and monitor hospital referrals across the province.
He admitted that there were instances when patients brought in by ambulance were denied admission due to the absence of referrals, a practice he said runs contrary to policy.
“It is very clear. If it is an emergency case, there is no need for a referral,” Diaz stressed.
Can’t say ‘no’
He explained that OHC is essentially a computer-based application designed to show hospital bed availability and track personnel performance, emphasizing that it should never be used as a basis to refuse patients.
“It should not be used to say ‘no’ to our patients,” Diaz said, adding that the issue lies in implementation rather than in the system itself.
Calls to revisit the OHC intensified after some local chief executives aired dissatisfaction over how the system operates on the ground.
Cadiz City Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr., president of the Association of Chief Executives in Negros Occidental, earlier urged the provincial government to fine-tune the system, while Toboso Mayor Richard Jaojoco went as far as proposing its total abolition.
Despite these differing views, Lacson maintained that reform, not removal, is the way forward, as the province seeks a more coordinated and responsive hospital referral system to ensure timely medical care, especially during emergencies.
In December, the Negros Occidental provincial government maintained that the problem lies not in the digital platform itself but in hospital emergency room triage and human implementation on the ground.
However, Diaz acknowledged that lapses occur when hospital personnel misapply referral rules.
The OHC was launched by the provincial government as a centralized hospital referral and emergency coordination system among health facilities in Negros Occidental’s 31 local government units.
It aims to streamline communication and speed up patient referrals during medical emergencies./CJ, WDJ