Ilocos Norte hospital suspends outpatient consultation after strong earthquake
COLLAPSED. This photo posted on social media by the local fire department in Batac City, Ilocos Norte on Wednesday, Oct. 26, shows the extent of the damage of the collapsed ceiling at the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital & Medical Center. Patients were evacuated and out-patient consultation was suspended at the hospital while authorities continue with their assessment after the 6.4 magnitude earthquake on Tuesday night, Oct. 25. Photo from BFP Region 1 Batac
LAOAG CITY, Ilocos Norte — Ilocos Norte’s biggest hospital sustained damage from the magnitude 6.4-earthquake which jolted parts of northern Luzon on Tuesday night, prompting its management to evacuate patients and suspend consultations at the outpatient department (OPD).
The management of the Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center (MMMH&MC) in Batac City, which is about 60 kilometers north of the quake’s epicenter in Abra province, said in a public advisory on Wednesday that the suspension will pave the way for “more thorough appraisal” of its buildings.
In photos shared by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) in Batac City on social media, the ceilings of the isolation intensive care unit appeared to have collapsed.
Photos shared by the local fire agency also showed dozens of patients sitting on chairs on the driveway leading to the hospital’s emergency room and main building.
Photo from BFP Region 1 Batac
“The authorities made us leave the building while they checked the building integrity…. We are currently conducting an assessment of the damage,” hospital worker Tom Tabije said.
Jhey-ar Mangati, health education and promotions officer of MMMHMC, told the Inquirer in an interview that all staff, patients and their watchers were safe after the earthquake, citing a report from its Incident Command System.
He said that the quake damaged hospital infrastructure, and they are currently appraising the extent of damage.
In Banna town, Ilocos Norte, a rockslide made the Batac-Banna road impassable but was opened to motorists following a clearing operation nine hours after the earthquake, the local BFP reported.
Power was also cut off for a few hours after the earthquake in some parts of Ilocos Norte. Noel Andres, spokesperson of the Ilocos Norte electric cooperative, said that it was due to electric lines which swayed and buckled during the quake.
Vendors and buyers were also allowed to enter the Laoag City public market and commercial complex following a safety and damage assessment on Wednesday conducted by the local BFP, the city engineering office and disaster risk reduction and management council.
