DOCTORS are pushing for their inclusion in the list of exempted individuals in the odd-even traffic scheme on Epifanio delos Santos Ave. (EDSA) next month.
In an interview, Philippine College of Chest Physicians President Dr. Maricar Limpin said they are hoping the government will include in the exempted list doctors responding to medical emergencies.
“There are a lot of instances wherein we need to go back to the hospital in a hurry after having left, simply because we have to respond to an emergency,” said Limpin.
“I hope that the MMDA will reconsider this decision. We all know that health services never stop,” she added.
Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines Inc. President Dr. Jose Rene de Grano agreed with Limpin, saying their exclusion is unacceptable.
“We asked some of our members re: this new scheme, and all of them are against it because they believe that the percentage of doctors going on emergency calls is quite few, maybe less than two percent of the volume of vehicles going to EDSA,” said De Grano in a separate interview.
“What will be sacrificed in the implementation of this new scheme? During emergencies, who is to be blamed if the doctors cannot go to the hospital simply because they are not allowed?” he added.
Former Philippine College of Physicians president Dr. Anthony Leachon urged the government to hold dialogue with the medical sector before the implementation of the scheme.
“Some believe that doctors responding to genuine emergencies should be considered for exemption,” he said.
“Perhaps the medical organizations, headed by the Philippine Medical Association, can sit down with the MMDA and DOTr to come up with the appropriate guidelines,” added Leachon.
The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority had earlier announced that doctors on emergency duty wouldn’t be among those exempted from the odd-even scheme.
Exemptions have been granted only to select vehicles, including electric and hybrid cars recognized under the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act; non-motorized modes of transport; emergency response vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks; public utility vehicles, including buses and jeepneys; accredited transport network vehicles; and authorized government vehicles providing essential services.
‘TOL’ WEIGHS IN
Senate majority leader Francis Tolentino said authorities can ask subdivision owners to open their roads to motorists to help ease traffic congestion due to the scheduled rehabilitation of EDSA.
In a chance interview at the Senate, Tolentino said certain provisions of RA 11201 or the Act which created the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) state that the agency has the power to “Open roads of subdivisions to the public when the general public requires it, upon consultation with stakeholders.”
“Makakabawas ‘yun sa expected traffic congestion (That will help lessen traffic congestion),” Tolentino said.
Tolentino earlier recommended that road works along the 23.8-kilometer EDSA should be done only from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following day so as not to put too much burden on motorists.
He also said that repair works on EDSA can be done in five phases — EDSA-Pasay, EDSA Makati to Guadalupe, EDSA-Ortigas, EDSA-Cubao, and EDSA-Caloocan City.
“So, kung ang EDSA ay 24 kilometers, 24 months ‘yung repair, two years-i-target mo na ng one kilometer per month (So, if EDSA is around 24 kilometers, then the repairs are 24 months, that’s two years, then they should set a target of one kilometer per month),” he added. – With Raymond Africa
