DOH sends emergency teams to Davao Oriental

Following the magnitude 7.4 quake that hit Davao Oriental on Friday morning, 10 October, the Department of Health (DOH) has deployed three emergency teams there.

DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa said the agency immediately activated the Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Team (DOH-PEMAT).

The three teams include DOH-PEMAT 44 Eastern Visayas Medical Center, DOH-PEMAT 45 Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium, and DOH-PEMAT 46 Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital.

As an Emergency Medical Type 1 Fixed, the DOH-PEMAT team can serve as an outpatient department or set up temporary hospital tents in times of disaster.

"They are a 15 to 20-man self-sustaining team in case they would need additional field hospitals," Herbosa said.

The DOH-PEMAT was deployed in Turkey after the 7.8-magnitude tremor there in February and the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Myanmar in March.

As of writing, two individuals were confirmed dead in Davao Oriental following the quake.

The DOH has also sent medical teams to Bogo City in Cebu following a call for medical volunteers by the province after a 6.9-magnitude quake struck the city on 30 September.