The Department of Health (DOH) has deployed two Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Teams (PEMATs) to areas affected by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck parts of Mindanao.
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa announced that the PEMATs were sent to different locations in Mindanao devastated by the quake. According to Herbosa, the teams have departed for Balut Island in Sarangani, Davao Occidental, to augment health response operations in the affected regions.
The deployed PEMATs come from the Cotabato Regional Medical Center (CRMC) and the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC). The CRMC team includes two surgeons, two obstetrician-gynecologists, two emergency medicine specialists, two anesthesiologists, two pediatricians, and one internist. They will be supported by 17 nurses, two midwives, two radiation technologists, one medical technologist, one physical therapist, and one mental health specialist.
The SPMC PEMAT comprises six medical doctors, including two emergency medicine specialists, two family medicine practitioners, one ophthalmologist, and one trauma doctor. The team also includes three nurses, ten mental health specialists, one data manager, two logistics managers, and one cook.
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Sarangani province on June 8 and was felt in other areas of Mindanao. According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), over 346,000 people have been affected by the earthquake.
