DOH to send medical team to Japan

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Health (DOH) is set to send a medical team to quake-devastated Japan.

Dr. Carmencita Banatin of the DOH Health Emergency Management Service said they are already preparing the medical team for possible deployment to Japan.

Banatin said DOH would send at least 20 doctors and nurses to Japan after the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) made a request.

The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) had announced last Saturday that its emergency and disaster management committee had already been activated for deployment to Japan.

The PMA’s medical teams are composed of volunteer medical specialists in the fields of surgery, emergency medicine, anesthesiology, pediatrics, among others for possible deployment to Japan to help the earthquake victims there.

The medical group also asked the government to join forces with them in a bid to help Japan.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is also preparing their team to be sent to affected areas in Japan.

PRC secretary-general Gwendolyn Pang said they were already instructed by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to organize a standby team for deployment to Japan.

As this developed, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) would extend assistance to the 2,600 Filipinos currently employed in quake-devastated areas in Japan.

OWWA chief Carmelita Dimzon said that of the 7,800 active Filipino OWWA members in Japan, 2,600 are now in Tokyo, Sendai and Miyagi, which were badly hit by the recent quake and tsunami.

“Our welfare officers have standing instructions that in times of distress they should immediately reach out to the members of the OWWA community in their jurisdiction,” said Dimzon.

She urged OWWA members in Japan to contact the OWWA welfare officers or the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices for assistance.

Dimzon said the families and relatives of the OWWA members in Japan could contact their loved ones through the agency’s office in Pasay City and avail themselves of free calls under the “Libreng Tawag” program starting today.

The OWWA operations center would also accept inquiries about OWWA members working in Japan through its hotlines 551-1560, 551-6641, 833-6992, and text 0917-898-6992.