DOH-8 deploys health team to Northern Mindanao

By Philippine Information Agency (PIA 8)
December 26, 2011

TACLOBAN CITY  –  The Department of Health (DOH) Region 8 has sent a medical team to Cagayan de Oro before Christmas and will send another batch this week in order to help attend to the health needs of the Sendong affected families in the said area.

The medical team is composed of psychiatrists who will help take care of the residents who are suffering from the trauma caused by tragedy, some have lost their families while others are still in state of shock because of the tragedy; medical doctors, sanitary engineers, among others.

One team that was sent Cagayan de Oro came home before Christmas. Another team will be sent after Christmas, Dr. Paula Sydiongco said in a radio interview.

Right after the calamity in Northern Mindanao, DOH Regional Director Edgardo Gonzaga expressed willingness to deploy a medical team from Eastern Visayas to Northern Mindanao.

He told the Philippine Information Agency that he, however deferred the move upon the advice of the DOH Central Office that the DOH regional offices in Mindanao be the first to send their teams. The DOH Visayas teams will be informed when their schedule comes.

When the go signal came, DOH 8 immediately deployed a team to assist the medical personnel of the DOH 10 in attending to the medical needs of the people in the affected areas in Northern Mindanao.

To date, the death toll from the storm rose to 1,236 on December 25 authorities continued to fish out more bodies from the water throughout the day, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported.

Meanwhile, a total of 1,079 persons remain missing after Sendong ravaged last weekend portions of Northern Mindanao, particularly the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, based on latest records from the NDRRMC.