The Department of Health said 64 health facilities were damaged due to the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that recently hit the province of Abra and other areas on Wednesday morning.
In a media briefing, Undersecretary Beverly Ho, alternate spokesperson of the DOH, said that damaged were 8 hospitals, 28 Rural Health Units, and 18 are Barangay Health Stations.
“The DOH is on-the -ground to help our kababayans affected by the earthquake,” Ho said.
The DOH said that representatives were sent to the region to check and assess the situation at CAR.
Assistant Secretary Nestor Santiago, along with this team, is currently in the region joining Regional Director Rio Magpantay of the Center for Health Development- Cordillera Administrative Region (CHD- CAR) to personally assess the status of healthcare workers and their facilities.
The DOH assured that the they are exhausting all efforts to ensure that healthcare services are not hampered during these times of calamity and that their needs are taken care of by their implementing units.
According to the report from CHD-CAR, 272 were injured including 19 hospital admissions; 4 deaths while 4 are still missing.
Likewise, the DOH Central Office is on- the- ground with the local government units (LGUs) and has already extended its assistance by sending trucks carrying 20
tents, 200 cot beds, hygiene kits, medicines and other supplies.
“Two medical teams from Ilocos Training and Regional Medical Center and Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center have been deployed to the sites. Abra Provincial Hospital is also providing aid and is being assisted by the DOH,” Ho said.
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