Hospitals ordered to keep staffs for emergencies

While firecracker injuries have gone down in recent years, hospitals are still placed on white alert to attend to victims especially in the provinces, like this firecracker victim from Compostela town who was rushed to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in January 1 this year. (CDN File Photo).

AS more people head to the provinces for the holidays, the Cebu Provincial Health Office called on district hospitals to ensure that there are doctors and staff on duty for any emergency.

Dr. Rene Catan of the PHO said while doctors and medical personnel can go on leave, the hospital chief should keep a staff on duty at any time of the day, especially with holiday-related incidents expected to spike in the next few days.

“They can rotate their staffs so there is always someone on duty,” he said.
Dr. Catan said district hospitals in the province are on “red alert” status starting on December 23.

Dr. Shelbay Blanco of the regional Department of Health (DOH-7) said hospitals were placed under “white alert” status since December 1, in anticipation of the holiday-related incidents such as firecracker injuries in the next few days.

A white alert status means that all hospital personnel are on standby for deployment and augmentation for medical and other services as necessary and hospitals must also have enough medicine, medical supplies and other logistics.

Catan called on local governments to conduct community fireworks display to discourage people from using firecrackers in their neighborhoods.

He said a designated area should also be identified by the town or barangay for people who want to use firecrackers and they should use certified brands to minimize the risk.