THE Medical City (TMC) on Monday opened an expanded emergency facility at its Ortigas branch, featuring streamlined emergency care.

The expanded emergency care unit is designed to deliver ER care in four hours, with a patient being immediately assessed by an emergency doctor upon arrival.

“Depending on the evaluation, patients are directed to appropriate care areas while staying informed through a digital queuing system,” TMC President and Group Chief Executive Officer Stuart Bennett said.

This is the first time that the ER facility underwent such massive expansion since the TMC relocated to a 1.5-hectare lot in Ortigas, he said.

Mr. Bennett told BusinessWorld that the TMC has spent “close to P100 million” from a construction standpoint for the upgraded ER.

The upgraded ER, which banks on a collaborative work among emergency doctors and other healthcare workers, addresses inefficiencies in emergency care by having access to “streamlined processing” of laboratory tests, radiology tests, x-rays, and other necessary tests.

“It really requires you to have the beds available, to have the space available, and if all those things work together, then you can successfully achieve a four-hour waiting time,” he said.

“They literally have to all come together in one way, otherwise it’s very, very difficult.”

Lourdes D. Jimenez, director of the Emergency Department of TMC Ortigas, said one of the major features of the upgraded ER is being “consultant driven.”

“So, we have around six to seven consultants in all areas,” she said.

Around 40 doctors and over 100 nurses are manning the upgraded ER, she added.

Cases requiring prompt but non-critical attention, like moderate injuries or infections, are treated in an urgent care area, while patients with concerns that are not too time-sensitive are brought to a non-urgent area.

Those in life-threatening situations such as heart attacks, stroke, or sepsis are treated in an area that is “fully equipped for rapid intervention” by emergency teams.

The TMC features a heart attack care program, the first of its kind in the Philippines, in which doctors will open up a patient’s blocked artery within 60 minutes.

Stroke victims are quickly treated by a brain team, which determines if they need a mechanical thrombectomy, a minimally invasive procedure to remove blood clots.

The upgraded ER also has a mental health high dependency secure area, which caters to patients experiencing psychological distress, and a trauma room, where patients with serious physical injuries can receive specialized care. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

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