COVID call center launched in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines — The Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) strongly warns the public not to make prank and unnecessary test calls on the newly-launched 711 DOH-Central Visayas 24/7 Emergency HealthLine.

The use of the 711 special number, however, is still awaiting approval of the NTC. The number 7 of the 711 signifies region VII which is Central Visayas.

The 711 DOH-Central Visayas 24/7 Emergency HealthLine was already partially operational yesterday from Metro Cebu and Cebu Province using the temporary numbers - 411-6900 or 09672219120.

OPAV, in a statement, said prank calls will only hamper the HealthLine operations and will deprive the opportunity to focus the agent’s attention to more urgent and emergency situations.

“Those who are caught making the prank calls will be traced and shall be dealt with accordingly,” the statement read.

The 711 DOH-VII Healthline is a contact center that is designed to effectively navigate the community and facilities during health emergencies that need referral and coordination.

Upon seeing the rise of the number of COVID-19 admissions, especially in the major hospitals in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, DOH–7, OPAV felt the need to establish a centralized contact center in order for emergency cases to be promptly assisted and referred.

Aside from COVID concerns, the HealthLine will also cater to other health emergencies and inquiries.

It took some time to launch the call center, as it has to be manned by trained personnel with medical background.

When a person calls to seek emergency assistance, the agent will assess the patient’s status over the phone and determine the need for referral to the nearby hospital or health centers as appropriate.

The use of the DOH Central Visayas Electronic Health Referral System (CVeHRS) will facilitate prompt referral to hospitals in terms of availability of ER beds, ICU beds and regular hospital beds so that the patient need not hop from one hospital to the other.

DOH–7 and OPAV shall sustain this initiative even after the pandemic with innovations together with prospective partners from the government and private sectors to further expand its services. – GAN (FREEMAN)