Red Cross to the rescue
PRC chapters have also taken the initiative to lead clean-up efforts accompanied by beefed-up information dissemination to prevent dengue
To decongest several hospitals serving patients affected by dengue, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) ordered the immediate deployment of medical tents in Iligan City.
Sen. Richard Gordon, also chairman of PRC, made the order amid the alarming surge of the mosquito-borne disease in the said city.
“The rapid increase in dengue cases and deaths in Iligan requires an immediate action. We, at the Red Cross are taking such action to ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable are addressed,” Gordon said.
One of the hospitals to be supported by Red Cross through its medical tents is Gregorio Lluch Memorial Hospital, which requested the organization’s assistance.
Last 6 August, the Department of Health declared a national dengue epidemic as reports showed that cases in some regions, particularly in Mindanao, have surpassed the epidemic threshold.
Iligan City ranks 4th in Northern Mindanao Region in the number of dengue cases and tops the list in terms of death percentage.
Gordon stressed that PRC is closely monitoring dengue cases all over the country through its local chapters and has previously deployed medical tents in Cavite, Iloilo and Capiz.
Aside from Emergency Medical Unit, the PRC has also provided almost 600 units of blood products to various hospitals in areas with high dengue cases. Red Cross chapters have also taken the initiative to lead clean-up efforts accompanied by beefed-up information dissemination to prevent the disease. Gordon said that the PRC tents deployed in Iligan City have 20-bed capacity complete with medical kits and air conditioning unit.