President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday ordered the Department of Health (DOH) to deploy doctors and provide medical assistance in the evacuation centers to ensure the health conditions of the evacuees affected by Typhoon Carina.
In a situation briefing, President Marcos stood firm that the DOH should ensure that evacuation centers are equipped with mobile clinic to check on the condition of the children and the elderly.
“Kailangan mayroon silang clinic sa bawat evacuation center, or at least may umiikot na medical team … can we get an instruction to the DOH that evacuation centers, kailangang madaanan ang mga bata,” President Marcos said.
“We have to get some medical, (team), kahit na ‘yung mga BHWs lang nila muna … hanggang makarating ang doctors dun. Mag assess lang sila that everybody is okay. Anybody is in need of immediate help,” the Chief Executive added.
President Marcos emphasized that doctors should be immediately deployed to the evacuation centers so that they will be able to provide the prescriptions for elderlies who need their maintenance medicines.
The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said that around 189,014 families, or 910,536 individuals were affected by Carina while 123,992 families or 612,961 individuals took shelter in various evacuation centers.
Records also showed that 13 individuals perished while two were reported injured and two are missing.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has prepositioned a total of 360,228 family food packs as of 10:45 am on Wednesday to its field offices and to different local government units (LGUs) affected by the super typhoon.
Of the figure, 39,038 were pre-positioned or distributed to the National Capital Region (NCR); 171,467 to Central Luzon; 90,957 to Calabarzon; 38,766 to Mimaropa; and 20,000 to the Bicol region.
President Marcos led a situation briefing Thursday morning where he met with the members of the Cabinet who are directly involved in the government’s disaster efforts along with other government agencies involved in the rescue and relief operations at the Presidential Security Command compound in Manila.
The Chief Executive ordered the government to identify the areas hardly hit by Carina to determine where and what kind of immediate assistance will be extended to the affected residents. PND
