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Quake displaces 90 Davao Oro hospital patients

By Che Palicte

February 2, 2023, 9:14 pm

<p><strong>EVACUATED.</strong> Personnel of the Army's 25th Infantry Battalion assist a patient from the Davao de Oro Provincial Hospital, who was being transferred to the Montevista Sports Complex in Montevista, Davao de Oro on Wednesday night (Feb. 1, 2023). The patients were evacuated after a magnitude 6 earthquake jolted the province, with the neighboring New Bataan town as the pinpointed epicenter. <em>(Photo courtesy of 10ID)</em></p>

EVACUATED. Personnel of the Army's 25th Infantry Battalion assist a patient from the Davao de Oro Provincial Hospital, who was being transferred to the Montevista Sports Complex in Montevista, Davao de Oro on Wednesday night (Feb. 1, 2023). The patients were evacuated after a magnitude 6 earthquake jolted the province, with the neighboring New Bataan town as the pinpointed epicenter. (Photo courtesy of 10ID)

DAVAO CITY – About 90 patients evacuated from the Davao de Oro Provincial Hospital (DDOPH) on Wednesday evening will remain at the Montevista Sports Complex, as the hospital is undergoing structural intensity assessment (SIA) after the damage sustained from the magnitude 6 earthquake.

In a statement Thursday, the Provincial Information Office said Governor Dorothy Gonzaga visited the evacuation area and ensured that the patients are properly cared for.

“The patients will remain temporarily in the covered court while a part of the provincial hospital is being prepared to house them,” she was quoted as saying.

After the earthquake jolted New Bataan town and neighboring areas, troops from the Army's 25th Infantry Battalion (25IB) assisted in the transfer of 251 patients from the Davao de Oro Provincial Hospital to the designated evacuation center.

The 25IB said it was closely coordinating with local government responders in post-quake damage assessment, as the Army disaster response units in the Davao Region are also monitoring possible aftershocks.

Critical patients were transferred to the Davao Regional Medical Center in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, and others are also brought to the DDOPH in neighboring Pantukan town.

Meanwhile, Gonzaga assured that there are enough doctors and nurses to take care of the patients and that the provincial government has installed a mini-pharmacy for free medicines.

“We will try to see what we can do to repair the (damages) in the hospital. Hopefully, we can find another location to find an area for a new hospital,” she said in an interview.

Currently, Gonzaga and the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office conduct the post-disaster assessment in the entire province. (PNA)

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