President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. holds a situation briefing on the effects of Typhoon Carina on Thursday, July 25. Screenshot from RTVM/Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday instructed the Department of Health (DOH) to set up clinics and deploy medical teams to evacuation centers in the country in the aftermath of Typhoon Carina and the southwest monsoon.
No representative from the DOH was present during the Palace briefing, prompting Marcos to request that his instruction be forwarded to the agency.
READ: More Luzon areas under state of calamity due to Typhoon Carina
“Those in the evacuated areas will need to, kailangan meron silang clinic sa bawat evacuation center or at least may umiikot na medical team,” the President said.
(Those in the evacuated areas will need to, they need to have a clinic in each evacuation center or at least a rotating medical team.)
“Can we get that instruction out please. Tell the DOH that the evacuation centers, kailangan, lalo na yung mga bata, we have to give some medical kahit na yung mga [barangay health worker] lang nila muna hanggat makarating ‘yung doktor don,” he added.
(Tell the DOH that the evacuation centers, it’s necessary, especially the children, we have to give some medical care even if it’s just their barangay health workers first until the doctor arrives.)
According to the chief executive, the team will be tasked to assess the safety of everybody by conducting a triage.
“The long-term problem usually in instances such as this is medication so that’s another thing we have to prepare with… The medicines I’m talking about, the obvious ones, when you have a fever. But the other medicines are the maintenance medicines of the seniors because they were cut off from their supply but that requires a prescription from a doctor. We cannot just buy statins and send them all to those who are in need. We have to get a doctor to prescribe so that what we are doing is right.)
Carina exited the Philippine area of responsibility at 6:20 a.m. on Thursday after causing downpours and widespread flooding in many parts of the country, including Metro Manila.