Photo courtesy of DOH Cagayan Valley.
QUEZON CITY (PIA) — The Department of Health has assured that all its health facilities in Cagayan Valley—forecast to be heavily impacted by Typhoon Marce (Yinxing)—are functional and capable of providing health and medical services for residents.
Cagayan Valley (Region II) consists of the provinces of Batanes, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and Cagayan, which includes the Babuyan Islands.
In its Cagayan Valley Health Situational Summary Report on Typhoon Marce (November 7, 2024), the DOH regional office said that all of its 48 hospitals and infirmaries, together with 98 Rural Health Units (RHUs) and 1,873 barangay health stations (BHS), are functional.
It also has a pool of trained health staff for the region consisting of 653 personnel of the DOH and 2,962 from the local government units (LGUs).
These personnel from the DOH and LGUs are assigned in groups for Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH), Nutrition in Emergency (NIE), Mental Health & Psychosocial Services (MHPSS), and Public Health functions, the office assured.
Meanwhile, its available stockpile includes 199 commodities/kits amounting to 1,709,589, with a P50,000 standby fund.
The DOH Cagayan Valley said that it has taken the following actions, among others:
• DRRM-H (Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in Health) Operation Center (OpCen) is on 24/7 operations;
• Active monitoring of health events through quad-media 24/7;
• 24/7 Operations of Regional ONELINE Command Call Center;
• Activated Code White Alert Level in relation to Typhoon Marce on November 4, 2024, to the regional office, DOH hospitals, and provincial DOH offices.
• Attended the Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA) Meeting re TY “Marce” with the Cagayan Valley Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CVDRRMC) on November 5, 2024;
• Attended PDRA Meeting with the Provincial Health Office Cagayan, the Provincial DOH Office (PDOHO), and selected municipalities on November 6, 2024;
• Activation of Code White to Blue on November 7, 2024.
• Operation Centers in PDOHOs Cagayan, Isabela, and Batanes are activated.
• The Regional Emergency Incident Command System is activated; and
• Collected Logistics Utilization Report of C/PDOHOs for basis of mobilization of logistics, drugs, and medicines. (PIA DMD)
