Marcos asks DOH to deploy medical teams at evacuation centers

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday told the Department of Health (DOH) to provide comprehensive healthcare services in evacuation centers after Typhoon Carina displaced thousands of residents in Metro Manila and its neighboring regions.

In a situation briefing at the Presidential Security Command in Manila, the President underscored the importance of establishing clinics or deploying rotating medical teams to ensure the well-being of evacuees, particularly children and the elderly.

"The next part of this is going to be healthcare. Sometimes it's forgotten, but those in the evacuated areas will need to have a clinic at each evacuation center or at least a rotating medical team," Marcos said.

Marcos also told the DOH to implement this directive, ensuring immediate medical attention for those in need.

The President expressed concern over the long-term healthcare challenges faced by evacuees, noting the critical need for medications, especially maintenance medicines for seniors who have been separated from their regular supplies.

The medicines I’m talking about are the obvious ones, like for fever. But the other medicines are the maintenance medications for seniors because they’re away from their supplies," he explained.

Acknowledging the logistical challenges, President Marcos emphasized the importance of having medical professionals assess the situation on the ground and provide necessary prescriptions.

To address immediate medical needs, the President proposed deploying Barangay Health Workers (BHW) until doctors can arrive at the evacuation centers.

"We have to get some medical personnel, even just their Barangay Health Workers at first, until the doctor arrives. They should assess if everyone is okay, do a little triage to see if anyone is in need," Marcos said.

Marcos also asked relevant agencies to promptly address the healthcare needs of evacuees.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) informed the President during the briefing that at least 13 people have been confirmed dead, two have been injured, and two are missing as of Wednesday night.

Additionally, 189,014 families, totaling 910,536 individuals, have been impacted by the extensive flooding and heavy rainfall caused by Carina and the southwest monsoon (habagat).