Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Chairman and CEO Richard Gordon on Wednesday reported that the humanitarian organization provided medical care for some 800 injured devotees during their four-day operation for the Feast of the Black Nazarene.
The PRC personnel and assets were stationed along the grand procession since January 7.
“Mass gatherings can strain any medical operation due to the demand for services and that is why we have been preparing since December. I salute and thank all the volunteers and staff of PRC for a job well done. They had to stay and eat at first aid stations for more than two days just to provide medical care to devotees,” Gordon said as he lauded over a thousand PRC volunteers who showed up to help during the operation, including volunteer doctors, nurses, Emergency Response Unit, Emergency Medical Teams, and trained RC143 volunteers, who endured long hours of duty to ensure the safety of devotees.
“The majority of them had to join the large crowd to check and look for patients who might go unnoticed due to the large number of people. This success wouldn’t be possible without them. Salute to all! Let’s all apply these lessons learned unto our next operations,” said Gordon.
Among earlier recorded cases of PRC include individuals who suffered dizziness, hypertension, sprains, fractures, and those requiring assistance in looking for missing companions. The PRC attended to a pregnant woman experiencing contractions and assisted a vendor who had sustained a burn on his hand due to an unmanaged LPG.
Gordon also explained the rationale behind PRC’s consistent and intense preparation for the annual event, saying, “The first rule of any of our operations is to prevent injury.”
For her part, PRC Secretary-General Dr. Gwen Pang agreed with him, stating that it is “better to over-prepare than to be underprepared.”
Dr. Pang also advised the devotees to prioritize rest, eat nutritious food, stay hydrated, attend to wounds and health conditions, and consult with doctors before resuming their activities.