MANILA --Department of Health (DOH) officials on Sunday conducted hospital rounds to three different hospitals in Manila and Quezon City.
DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III led the hospital visits together with key officials of the agency to ensure that hospitals are prepared and alert in attending to any untoward incidence that can be caused by firecrackers and other health emergencies.
They first visited the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center wherein the Secretary personally checked the pieces of equipment displayed at the emergency which include bone cutters and other equipment used in the operation of cases requiring amputations.
"Sana hindi na ito kailangan gamitin (We hope that this will not be used)" he told reporters as he holds some of them to illustrate how they will be used on patients that will be brought to hospitals and whose damaged body parts due to firecrackers explosion can no longer be restored thus will require operation or amputation.
Meanwhile, he said that while they are hoping for reduction in the over-all injuries due to firecrackers as an effective consequence of the Executive Order 28 on firecrackers, he said that as of now they could not fully predict or make a final assumption that an over-all reduction could happen in the upcoming New Year revelry due to uncertainties.
"No, it’s premature (to say). We need to wait kasi hindi naman masasabi mamayang gabi. We gonna report tomorrow (Jan. 1, 2018). And then after that, we will have a final report on January 5," he said as he agreed that based on the trends seen in its 10-day monitoring since 6 a.m. of December 21 to 6 a.m. of December 31, there were significant reductions that were seen.
Meanwhile, the DOH chief further reminded the public, particularly the trigger-happy individuals, to be responsible gun owners to avoid causing injuries to innocent victims.
"Alam po natin ang problema ng stray bullet, pwedeng kamag-anak, pwedeng malapit sa inyong buhay ang tamaan. Kung pwede lang tigilan natin ito at iwasan nating magkaroon ng pagdurusa at trahedya sa panahon ng pagsalubong ng Bagong Taon," he said.
The other hospitals that were visited were Philippine Orthopedic Center and East Avenue Medical Center and East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City. (PNA)
