Lanao del sur: The Integrated Provincial Health Office (IPHO) of Lanao del Sur has activated its Health Emergency Alert Reporting System and deployed Emergency Health Response Teams (EHRTs) to protect the health and well-being of affected communities following recent natural calamities. Dr. Alinader D. Minalang, head of IPHO-Lanao del Sur, said he immediately ordered the deployment of a quick response team to the affected villages of Calanogas following a landslide that claimed the lives of seven persons on Friday.
According to Philippines News Agency, Dr. Minalang stated in a report on Monday that a team was dispatched on Friday to assist with the emergency health needs of affected families, emphasizing that health frontliners were active even on weekends. The intense weather, caused by Typhoon Inday and the enhanced southwest monsoon, resulted in flooding, landslides, river overflows, fallen trees, and disruptions to electricity and communication lines across eight towns in Lanao Sur.
The towns affected by these calamities include Balabagan, Calanogas, Kapatagan, Malabang, Masiu, Marogong, Picong, and Sultan Dumalondong. The IPHO-Lanao del Sur reported that 1,224 families, totaling 6,120 individuals, across 41 villages in these towns were impacted by the natural disasters. The calamity resulted in seven confirmed deaths, four missing persons, five injuries (two in Calanogas, one in Picong, and two in Sultan Dumalondong), and the temporary evacuation of 75 families.
According to the Ministry of Social Services and Development (SSD)-Lanao del Sur, the most affected families are staying with relatives or are home-based. Dr. Minalang noted that no disease outbreaks have been reported as of the latest reporting period. The EHRTs have been actively conducting medical consultations, providing first aid, and performing rapid health assessments. They have also distributed essential medicines, emergency medical supplies, and administered tetanus toxoid vaccines to eligible patients with wounds.
Further initiatives by the EHRTs include the distribution of hygiene kits, health promotion, ongoing surveillance of waterborne, foodborne, and vector-borne diseases, and the referral of patients requiring advanced care to Dr. Serapio Monta±er Sr. Memorial Hospital. Dr. Minalang emphasized the significance of preparedness in disaster defense and urged local government units (LGUs) to enhance Disaster Risk Reduction and Management for Health through improved planning, resources, responders, and resilient facilities.
Dr. Kadil Sinolinding Jr., head of the Bangsamoro Ministry of Health, praised the swift response of IPHO-Lanao del Sur. He encouraged LGUs in Lanao del Sur and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to maintain readiness for disasters and calamities. "Together, we respond with compassion. Together, we recover with resilience. Together, we build a healthier Lanao del Sur," Sinolinding stated.
