Solon urges passage of bill creating standard emergency response

MANILA, Philippines — Parañaque Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan has called on his colleagues at the House of Representatives to support a measure that will create a uniform and standard emergency response system to ensure the safety of Filipinos during disasters and crises.

In a statement on Tuesday, Yamsuan said he has filed House Bill (HB) No. 9474 or the proposed Emergency Medical Services System (EMSS) Act, which will set protocols that medical first-responders will observe during emergencies and ensure the continued training of medical personnel.

According to Yamsuan, a system for providing immediate medical care to patients might be the deciding factor between life and death—making the bill of paramount importance.

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“A well-functioning, coordinated emergency medical services system may be key to a patient’s survival and recovery before being brought to the hospital,” Yamsuan said.

“It could spell the difference between life and death for people in critical situations,” he added.

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Under the bill, an Emergency Medical Services System Council (EMSSC) under the Department of the Interior and Local Government will be created, with heads of other key agencies like the Department of Health, Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and the Philippine College of Emergency Medicine.

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Some of the functions of the EMSSC are the following:

Formulate policies on emergency medical services (EMS) systems

Develop national standards of emergency medical services

Develop appropriate standards of operation for EMS personnel

Develop standards and protocols for the design, accreditation, construction, outfitting and operations of emergency medical vehicles

Ensure the establishment of a system of networking and coordination among all existing government health agencies, local government units, and private and non-government medical institutions

Investigate complaints motu propio and impose penalties for the violation against any of the provisions of the bill

“During these times of crises, survival is determined not only by the sophistication of the medical equipment, but by how quickly and effectively help arrives before reaching the hospital,” Yamsuan said.

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“As important as it is for our government to invest in better hospitals, medicines and medical technology, even more critical is ensuring a system is in place to connect people to these services when they need them the most,” he added.

The alleged inadequacy of some first responders’ skillset was highlighted during the recent tragedy in Aurora province, where two student-athletes from the Ateneo de Manila University men’s basketball team drowned and died during a team-building activity.

There were rumors that Divine Adili, one of the two athletes who died last June 8, still had a pulse when he was rescued from the waters. However, there were claims that a first responder stopped providing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Adili and the other student-athlete, Rene Baterbonia, were brought to the Aurora Memorial Hospital but were declared dead on arrival.

The rumors have prompted the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP–CIDG) to invite the first responders.

READ: CIDG: First responders to be summoned over Ateneo drowning case

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“Every life matters. In any crisis, the delivery of emergency services should be equal for all those in need, regardless of one’s status in life,” Yamsuan said. /cb