The best things about Emergency Medical Services Philippines are made comprehensible in this write-up
As great as the work of the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) of the Philippines are, many Filipinos still don’t know what the profession is all about.
Many citizens aren’t intimated about their idea of EMS and the problems it is meant to solve. Yes, the field of EMS is such a very complex one and has been in existence for quite a while in the country.
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Introduction to Emergency Medical Services Philippines
The idea of EMS is to provide a coordinated service right from the scene of an emergency to the nearest and most appropriate medical facilities.
This EMS force has highly trained and experienced professionals who stabilize, transport, and treat victims in the pre-hospital setting.
The medical service is provided with the fundamental values of first aid that goes thus, Preserve Life, Prevent Further Injury, and Promote Recovery.
The Philippines is a country where there are a ton of emergency cases caused by natural and artificial disasters, diseases, and sickness.
This has made the quest for a sustainable ambulance service, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics in the country inevitable.
The crucial thing about EMS now is proper regulation and monitoring to ensure the profession serves its purpose of reducing the number of casualties that sometimes occur due to inefficient emergency medical support.
This way Filipinos will have better confidence in accessing the service to save their lives and their loved ones.
Components of EMS in the Philippines
One of the easiest ways to recognize EMS in action is through the arrival of their emergency vehicles or helicopters and caring for victims of an accident.
But that’s not all about this life-saving service as it is a system of coordinated services between many actors. Here are the components of EMS:
- Agencies and both public and private organizations
- Transportation and communication networks
- Hospitals, trauma centers, and systems
- Rehabilitation facilities
- Highly trained technicians
- Volunteer and career emergency personnel
- Therapists, physicians, and nurses
- Administrators and government officials
- Informed Filipino that has knowledge of a medical emergency
The current state of EMS in the Philippines
The EMS force in the Philippines is doing a great job when it comes to handling emergency cases. It is far more efficient nowadays compared to what was obtainable in the past years as the system now enables rapid medical response to incidents and facilitates critical lifesaving care.
The availability of cell phones has also made things quite easy to reach out to the emergency network in the Philippines via 117 in case of emergency.
With the help of a rapid ambulance response in the Philippines, needed medical attention is immediately given to the victims of incidents before being taken to the appropriate and nearest facility for further recovery and treatments.
No doubt, the EMS force is the strong pillar propping the fence of the pre-hospital care system. These professionals work under strenuous conditions and in some cases, risky situations so as to take care of the victims of the incidents.
All thanks to the advent of sophisticated equipment such as automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and 12-lead electrocardiographs (ECGs) that allow the innovative and adequate provision of medical care on-scene unlike in the past years.
Safety Issues in the Philippines
The emergency services are always delivered in unpredictable and stressful conditions just like it was stated earlier. This has always been a major threat to delivering life-saving services as many personnel works around the clock to ensure constant availability for any emergency.
This has also contributed to the incessant fatigue experienced on the side of the professionals in the force.
Similarly, the safety of the EMS Force is another issue of great concern as the working conditions are always demanding and dangerous many times.
The injury rate is often high for the workers, especially back injuries. Also, the issue of the person being exposed to violence from the locals isn’t to be forgotten as well.
EMS Force Ultimate Goals
Here are the goals of any EMS workers in the Philippines:
- To prevent further injuries to the victims from the care that is aimed at assisting them to cope with the present situations.
- To deliver medical care that is respectful of the victim’s preferences, needs, and values, coupled with careful consideration of patient values in all clinical decisions.
- To ensure services delivered are based on the latest scientific findings to the target beneficiaries (the victims).
- To ensure there’s timely intervention while also reducing the waiting time, which could result in distasteful situations, to the barest minimum.
- To ensure there’s an efficient use of every available resource such as types of equipment, ideas, energy, and supplies
- To ensure there are equitable services delivered to every person involved in an incident devoid of personal characteristics such as ethnicity, location, social status, and gender.
Strategies to Improve the Current EMS in the Philippines
There has been a remarkable feat achieved by the current EMS force in Philippines, but there’s still room for improvement. Some of the challenges the current system is facing are overcrowding of the hospitals, underdeveloped pre-hospital care, and standardization of the EMS.
EMS is part of the Philippines health system and should be seen and considered as such. This way necessary attention would be given to it for effectiveness and sustainability.
Nonetheless, there are a couple of things to do for the purpose of improving the current EMS for the Filipinos. Here are they:
Standardization of the EMS
The present health system in the Philippines is devolved, which means funding the health care services is the sole responsibility of the local government.
What the Department of Health (DOH) does is regulate health policies and programs for proper access to basic health services for the Filipinos.
The actual way to go is that the DOH should collaborate with the Local Government to ensure unbiased access to basic health care.
Also, the DOH Should regulate the ambulance services by focusing on the provision of appropriate types of vehicles and types of equipment and identification of an optimal location of services.
Education
There’s a need for all stakeholders to get involved in the health system as every Filipino is a prospective patient. Many Filipinos aren’t aware of the proper medical institutions including the EMS to take their sick relatives to.
Social innovation such as the inter-island boat ambulances in Zumaraga, Samar to connect remote birthing stations aren’t known to many citizens and this is one of the challenges.
At the community level, there’s a need to intensify the awareness of information about health care services and their availability.
Conclusion on Emergency Medical Services Philippines
Emergency Medical Services in the Philippines just like many other countries around the world is still a work in progress as there are many areas to improve on.
All stakeholders must be ready to contribute their quotas in the quest of achieving an effective EMS in the country.
Every single person needs to work with other professionals to organize and standardize the services.
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Chibueze Uchegbu is a certified medical physiologist with a great passion for healthy living.