Dumaguete: A mass casualty management training conducted by the Department of Health (DOH)-Negros Island Region aims to strengthen the capability of first responders in Negros Oriental to make do with available resources during disasters and other emergencies. Provincial Health Office (PHO) chief Dr. Liland Estacion said simulation exercises at the Freedom Park here on Friday exposed participants to various mass-casualty scenarios, including earthquakes and stampedes.

According to Philippines News Agency, among those who joined the training were the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Negros Oriental Provincial Hospital, ACE Doctors Hospital, Holy Child Hospital, Negros Polymedic Hospital, hospitals from Cebu, and members of the Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine National Police, and Philippine Coast Guard. "We are here so that we can be ready, God forbid, in the event of mass casualties here," Estacion said in an interview.

The training is part of DOH's mass casualty management program in the Negros Island Region and is being facilitated by the national mass casualty management team. The simulation exercises served as the culminating activity of the five-day course. Clinton Gairanod, one of the instructors, said participants will undergo a post-exercise critique to assess their performance and identify areas for improvement in emergency response protocols.

Estacion said the PHO plans to organize a provincial mass casualty management team that will replicate the training in government district hospitals and private hospitals across Negros Oriental to further enhance disaster preparedness. She added that the team will travel to Soccsksargen Region on Saturday to conduct a similar training.