Health execs concerned about pneumonia, diarrhea in evacuation centers

Cotabato City, Philippines–Health officials in Central Mindanao and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said the regional health office has spent P900,000 to prevent flood victims  from catching illnesses.

Close to 70,000 families were affected by the floods in the two regions.

Abdulla Dumama, Department of Health (DOH) 12 director, said  those in the evacuation centers were in danger of catching water-borne diseases.

Dumama said the DOH has procured water containers and distributed water purification tablets and medicines to combat the advent of water-borne diseases.

Kadil Sinolinding, ARMM health secretary, said health workers were also deployed in flooded areas in Maguindanao to monitor the health of affected victims.

During his visit here on Wednesday, President Aquino  instructed government agencies to make sure the flooded victims were being taken care of.

The government, reports from agencies indicated, has spent P12 million for the relief efforts.

Cotabato Archbishop Orlando Quevedo, head of the task force on Mindanao River Basins, said several projects  could help alleviate the situation. “One is the establishment of catchments like a super dike in the city.”

Quevedo pointed out  that “Cotabato City lies under sea-level, making it a catch basin of the rivers.”

The prelate said  there should also be simultaneous dredging of the rivers around the city and in Maguindanao and regular clearing of water hyacinths.

“We will reevaluate these impact projects. We need huge money for these and let’s validate our assumptions. Maybe, instead of going against nature, we should find ways to harness it,” Mr. Aquino said in response to Quevedo’s suggestions.

Col. Prudencio Asto, spokesperson of the military’s 6th Infantry Division, told the Inquirer  that soldiers were conducting river patrols to intercept water lilies before they reached the Delta Bridge here. He said  lack of equipment hounded the de-clogging efforts. Rosa May de Guzman and Jeoffrey Maitem, Inquirer Mindanao