DOH hospitals up and running, ready for El Niño threats – Herbosa

 

MANILA, Philippines — Public health services will not be disrupted by the impact of the El Niño phenomenon, the Department of Health (DOH) said on Monday.

Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said that the DOH has contingency plans in place in the event that power and water outages hit hospitals in the country.

“We are ready for El Niño. Our hospitals will stay up and running despite anticipated power and water challenges,” Herbosa said in a statement.

DOH also said that in addition to its own efforts, the Presidential Task Force on El Niño Response is also taking measures to address possible water shortages and power outages.

The health department further said that its Health Emergency Management Bureau – Response Division has endorsed a list of health facilities with “issues on water and energy security for guidance and possible agreement on the prioritization of these facilities in cases of water shortage and power outage.”

It added that it is currently “working with all health facilities nationwide in assessing their El Niño preparedness and on how to further improve their strategies and plans as El Niño peaks.”

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), 15 provinces may experience dry conditions, 22 may experience dry spells, and 30 provinces may experience drought nationwide due to the climate phenomenon.

Pagasa said that the effects of El Niño may last until May this year before the El Niño Southern Oscillation transitions to a neutral phase in June.