Bohol quake damages 11 hospitals; 2 shut down

MANILA, Philippines—Eleven hospitals were damaged while two were shut down after the deadly 7.2- magnitude earthquake that shook Central Visayas Tuesday morning and killed over 100 people, the Department of Health (DOH) said.

DOH officials noted Wednesday in a press briefing at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo that six of the 11 affected hospitals were owned by DOH, three were private hospitals while the two were established by the local government units in the Visayas.

The health department confirmed that two hospitals in the quake-hit region were no longer functioning. They said the patients from the damaged medical institution have already been transferred to other locations.

DOH has deployed teams in Tagbilaran City to augment the medical staff there, the Philippine News Agency (PNA) said in a statement.

The state-run news agency cited media reports saying orthopedic surgeons were also sent to Bohol to assist medical teams.

At present, two DOH teams from East Ave Medical Center and Quirino Memorial Medical Center have arrived in Bohol.

Out of the over 100 people who died in the earthquake, 97 were from Bohol alone.

As of 8 a.m. Wednesday, NDRRMC said 276 were injured.

Health Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag, meanwhile, said over Twitter that hospitals should be prepared for an influx of patients with injuries ranging from simple lacerations to fatal crushing injuries.

He also warned the public on dusts from collapsed buildings, which could pose serious dangers to health.

Tayag said these dusts could clog air passages of trapped survivors and could cause severe lung problems or even death.