The Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday afternoon placed its hospitals and health facilities under ‘code white alert’ in preparation for the effects of Tropical Storm Ramil.
‘Code white alert’ signifies that all hospitals and health facilities are prepared to handle emergencies and provide essential health services.
‘Under the code white alert, the DOH Operations Center is continuously monitoring, and medicines, medical equipment, and Health Emergency Response Teams are on standby to respond to affected regions in the country,’ the agency said.
In a separate Facebook post on Saturday, DOH said it was preparing medical assistance for the Bicol Region, which is forecast to be hit by Ramil.
The agency said medicines worth more than P11.2 million; health commodities, first-aid kits, tents, and breastfeeding kits; clean water and water containers to be distributed to evacuation centers; and emergency response teams to provide immediate services are readily available for the region.
‘Remember that cyclone Opong severely devastated the region, so the DOH has intensified coordination with local health offices and RDRRMC (Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council) Bicol,’ DOH said.
Based on the 2 p.m. update of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration, Ramil, which was last spotted over the coastal waters of Laoang, Northern Samar, may make landfall over Catanduanes this Saturday afternoon or evening and over Camarines Sur this evening or early Sunday morning.