The University of Manila Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) has launched its 155200, a dedicated 24/7 hotline number for its COVID-19 Bayanihan Operations Center.
Through the hotline service, UP-PGH aims to provide to the public and manage the influx of patients its COVID-19 healthcare center by enabling those who are sick to call and consult with professionals about the symptoms they are experiencing without having to physically check in at the hospital.
The hotline is also a channel through which the hospital can accept donations such as personal protective equipment and other badly needed supplies.
The hotline service is a joint initiative between UP-PGH’s in-house IT team and PLDT’s Enterprise Business Group, which provided the dedicated hotline number, connectivity and the call center IT platform.
The hotline will operate 24 hours daily and can accommodate 20 simultaneous calls at a time, in support of the tasks of the COVID-19 Bayanihan Operations Center which is also open 24/7. The hotline will be manned by UP-PGH volunteers.
UP-PGH set up its operations center in line with the direction of the Department of Health to designate key government hospitals as referral facilities to handle COVID-19 patients. The other referral hospitals are the San Lazaro Hospital and the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine.
“Upang magsilbing sentro na tagapag-ugnay ng ating sama-samang pagkikilos, inilulunsad po natin ngayong umaga ang UP-PGH COVID-19 operations center. Hindi natin magagawa ito kung hindi natin katulong ang PLDT, na pinamumunuan ni Ginoong Manny Pangilinan, na naghandog sa atin ng mga linya ng komunikasyon at mga makabagong internet application,” said University of the Philippines president Atty. Danilo Conception during the facility’s inauguration.
“We look forward to working even more closely with you and providing innovative communication tools that will help you become even more effective in caring for our people in these very difficult times,” said PLDT chairman and CEO Manuel Pangilinan in his message during the inauguration ceremony.
“Allow me to extend our most profound and deeply felt gratitude to all of you for the invaluable and irreplaceable service that you are providing our people and the country,” he added.