Panayam kay Spokeperson Asec. Albert Domingo ng DOH ukol prayoridad ang kalusugan ng mga nasa evacuation centers
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Updates on the hospital and health emergency response that we will discuss
00:05with Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo,
00:09the spokesperson of the Department of Health.
00:12Asek Albert, good afternoon.
00:14Good afternoon, Ninia. Asek Dale, good afternoon to all who are listening and watching us this afternoon.
00:19Asek, based on the directive of President Marcos Jr. to prioritize
00:25the health conditions of those affected by Hurricane Karina and Habagat,
00:29especially those who are in evacuation centers,
00:33what has the DOH done about this?
00:37Yes. Yesterday, when we heard the instruction of our beloved President,
00:42a command conference was held simultaneously.
00:46While the President was out along the Macamanaba area,
00:50Secretary Teda made a statement and held an emergency command conference
00:56at the East Avenue Medical Center.
00:58All of the Centers for Health Development, the regional offices of the DOH,
01:03have said that there will be prioritization in the evacuation centers.
01:08We are talking of five, or sorry, seven.
01:12We have seven priority areas. These are the regions that are most affected.
01:17Those are Ilocos, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Cagayan Valley, Cordillera, and Central Luzon.
01:27Four of those seven are in code blue, which means they are more alert.
01:31The DOH and LGUs are ready.
01:36Those are Ilocos, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon.
01:40We are monitoring four sets of conditions here.
01:44The so-called medical concerns, as the President said, are basic medicines.
01:49There are also public health concerns.
01:50And then number two would be nutrition.
01:53Because, of course, families are gathering.
01:57Number three would be your wash, or water, and sanitation and hygiene.
02:01And then waste disposal, because we generate a lot of waste there.
02:06And number four is mental health and psychosocial services.
02:11Asek Albert, just a follow-up.
02:13How is your monitoring of food and dietary services that are being distributed to evacuation centers?
02:20How do you ensure that the food that is being given is still safe and healthy?
02:27Yes, Asek Dale.
02:28Yesterday, we had the opportunity to personally inspect two evacuation centers.
02:34One is in Marikina, and one is in San Mateo, Rizal.
02:37And personally, Secretary Herbosa also saw how our raw food is being cooked.
02:43So there are a lot of donations, a lot of people are buying from the quick reaction fund of local government units.
02:50And then they have a makeshift dietary.
02:53Our standards, as we can see on your monitor, is that it still needs to be cooked properly.
02:58The big pans that are being used in parties are now being used to help our masses.
03:03So those are the important ways that we see.
03:06And then we also saw in the children, breastfeeding is still promoted.
03:10There are actually what are called family units, small traps that are inside the family.
03:17And there are breastfeeding stations for our mothers who will give milk to their babies.
03:23Okay. How is it, Asek, the congestion rates in our public hospitals right now?
03:29Especially when different diseases are spreading due to weather conditions.
03:34Actually, right now, my son is having a fever.
03:37I mean, you know, there's still a lot of talk about Ebola and Sipon,
03:40there are a lot of absences in schools because of this.
03:42Yes, our wild diseases are still there.
03:45They won't disappear.
03:46They might become even wilder if we don't take care of our facilities.
03:52What is WILD?
03:54Waterborne Diseases, Influenza-like Illnesses, Leptospirosis, and Dengue.
03:58So far, we haven't been able to monitor the number of cases across all of our health facilities.
04:05All DOH hospitals remain to be operational.
04:08We just had an unfortunate situation yesterday morning
04:11at San Lorenzo Ruiz Hospital in Malabon and Tondo Medical Center
04:16where the first floor was flooded.
04:18But when we contacted the medical center chief,
04:21he said that it can be continued.
04:22Actually, at the command conference, Secretary Ted said that
04:25if the hospital needs to be evacuated, it will be evacuated.
04:28If not, let's operate.
04:29So, it can still be continued.
04:31So, for now, there are only two reported hospital cases.
04:37But what are the high code alerts in the regions right now?
04:41Yes, for our code alerts, there are two.
04:44We have code white and code blue.
04:47For all of the regions nationwide,
04:49even if our weather system is not affected,
04:53it is still code white because it is on standby and monitoring.
04:56But for code blue, there are four.
05:00Ilocos, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, and Central Luzon.
05:03Sec. Dale, don't worry our viewers.
05:06What code blue means is the heightened alert of DOH staff.
05:11So, if there is an extra shift,
05:13the resources are prioritized.
05:16And usually, in such situations,
05:18the LGU might not be able to help the family or patients
05:23because of the flood that happened.
05:26But the LGU is always there to help.
05:29And always in coordination with the overall national command center
05:33headed by the President.
05:34Okay.
05:35Earlier, you mentioned the wild diseases.
05:37You said it can even be wilder.
05:40That's correct.
05:41Wild, wilder, wildest.
05:44Okay.
05:44So, one of them, L, is leptospirosis.
05:47Okay.
05:48So, now, we saw the floods.
05:51Who do you want to warn and tell?
05:53Who are the at-risk now for diseases like leptospirosis?
05:58Yes, Nina.
05:59It's quick to remember that leptospirosis
06:02comes from bacteria that leptospire from the urethra
06:06that are in the flood water.
06:08What we said is,
06:10let's tell the flood water,
06:11to the patients,
06:13to get the water from the inudoro.
06:14So, if we swim,
06:16and we can see that from the risk communication,
06:19we say not to swim
06:22or if you can avoid it,
06:24avoid the flood first.
06:25Our countrymen are listening and we're not blaming them.
06:28But we can see that,
06:30repeatedly, over many areas,
06:32swimming pools are being built.
06:34Inudoro is not just a swimming pool
06:36of flood water
06:37because it has a stream.
06:40Okay.
06:40You said it's a leptospirosis resort.
06:43That's the term of Secretary Herbosa.
06:46Yes.
06:47The leptospirosis resort is said
06:48because there are people who are saved,
06:50and there are people who are back-flipping.
06:52We said,
06:53it's like you're trying to avoid it.
06:54You really want to get dialysis.
06:56You really want to get ICU.
06:57So, let's not make such a resort
07:00because we will be your last resort,
07:02the DOH.
07:03So, don't go to the leptospirosis resort
07:06because we will also be your last resort.
07:09Sorry,
07:10just the symptoms,
07:11before we go to your question, Asek Dale.
07:13Symptoms of leptospirosis
07:15for our countrymen
07:16because sometimes like this,
07:17it needs to be repeated.
07:19Yes.
07:20It's important to remember
07:21our symptoms of leptospirosis
07:23that their eyes turn yellow,
07:26the teeth change color,
07:27it becomes gray,
07:29the dirt can be gray or white,
07:32it has pain,
07:33the body can get hard and there's a rash.
07:36Nina, Asek Dale,
07:37the symptoms are important here.
07:39It can take a while,
07:40from 2 to 14
07:42or the others can reach 30
07:44from 2 to 14 days,
07:46some even 30 days
07:48before our symptoms are seen.
07:50So, don't be like,
07:51I remember those who swim
07:52in the leptospirosis resort,
07:54maybe after that resort,
07:56it will really be leptospirosis.
07:59Yes, yesterday,
07:59there were a lot of videos
08:01the other day
08:02of people swimming
08:03even in the tunnels.
08:06But Dr. Albert,
08:08because of the flood,
08:09there's a hotline for teleconsult
08:13that the DOH launched
08:15for leptospirosis.
08:17Can you tell us more about that?
08:18Yes, we have a nationwide hotline,
08:21this is landline 1555,
08:24again, 1555.
08:26There are prompts,
08:28if I'm not mistaken,
08:29it's press number 2,
08:30that's like a teleprompt
08:31that will go to you
08:33in a teleconsultation.
08:35This is available
08:36from 8 in the morning
08:37until 5 o'clock at night.
08:39What's important here,
08:40when we talk about antibiotics,
08:42by the way, Asek Dale and Nina,
08:44we don't have a problem
08:45with antibiotics
08:46against leptospirosis.
08:48We don't want to say the name,
08:49but we know
08:50that it's spreading on social media.
08:52We have 1 million capsules
08:54of that antibiotic
08:55that was released yesterday
08:57that were picked up
08:58all regions nationwide.
09:00And this is not counting
09:01what is available
09:02in the private sector.
09:03So, to the boutiques,
09:04to the businessmen
09:05who are planning to raise prices,
09:07we are watching you,
09:08even DTI,
09:09because there are a lot of supplies.
09:12Okay, so we should not be
09:14thinking of raising prices.
09:17So, can our countrymen go,
09:19let's say, to public hospitals?
09:21So, it's readily available?
09:22Yes.
09:23Once you're vaccinated,
09:24is it automatic that you have to take this?
09:26I won't mention the brand,
09:28but this prophylaxis?
09:30Yes.
09:31That antibiotic,
09:32that's why consultations are important.
09:34First of all,
09:35let's say there are contraindications.
09:37Who should not be given
09:39that antibiotic?
09:40The pregnant women,
09:41children below 12 years old,
09:43and there are other medicines.
09:45So, it's important
09:46that there is a doctor
09:47or medical worker
09:48who can talk to you.
09:49Even telemedicine can be used.
09:51That's why 1,555 is being used now.
09:54And then, number two,
09:55not all people who have been infected
09:57need this.
09:58Although, we need to check,
10:00don't say,
10:01the DOH said,
10:02not all,
10:03I won't be allowed to check up.
10:04Ask for a check-up.
10:06There are three risk levels.
10:08Low risk,
10:08medium risk,
10:09high risk.
10:10The low risk
10:11does not mean zero.
10:13It's just low risk
10:14if there is no visible wound
10:16that is bleeding from the skin.
10:17If it's medium risk,
10:18it includes the rescuers
10:20because you have been exposed for a long time.
10:21There may be a wound
10:22or there may be an anthelmintic
10:24that went to the eyes,
10:25nose, and mouth.
10:26The high risk,
10:27if the area has been flooded
10:28for a long time,
10:30we have places like that,
10:32the dosing of that antibiotic
10:33is different.
10:35Okay.
10:36And again,
10:37let us stress,
10:38aside from leptospirosis,
10:40you mentioned other diseases
10:42like the wild,
10:43let's say dengue.
10:44Is dengue still a hot topic?
10:45A lot of people still get dengue.
10:47Yes.
10:48Dengue is a hot topic
10:49because it's water.
10:50That's why the wild,
10:51all of those are
10:52rainy season diseases.
10:54Dengue,
10:55our counts that we updated,
10:57so far,
10:58we are entering
10:59around the same number
11:00from last year.
11:01But we are still updating the numbers
11:03and we haven't seen the latest
11:05because it just rained heavily.
11:07As for the waterborne diseases,
11:09as we also talked about the flood,
11:11it's not just leptospirosis,
11:12obviously,
11:13it's caused by the flood.
11:14A lot of microbes
11:15pass through the inidoro
11:16of the flood.
11:17So, let's not swim.
11:19Think about it,
11:20the ones that are still squirming,
11:22pneumonia,
11:22acid nail,
11:23the ones that are splashing,
11:24splashing.
11:25It's not really...
11:26Are you going to do that
11:27in the bathroom?
11:28It's not, right?
11:29So, let's not do that
11:30because there are a lot of
11:31waterborne diseases.
11:32Influenza-like,
11:33Ubo,
11:34Sipon,
11:34because times are changing.
11:36Wear a face mask properly,
11:37not voluntary,
11:38mandatory.
11:39The discussion is properly.
11:41Okay.
11:42And wait,
11:42you're saying that there are microbes.
11:44Diarrhea is one of your enemies, right?
11:46So, what are the symptoms?
11:49Diarrhea can be deadly.
11:50You thought it's just a simple diarrhea.
11:52Yes, especially for our children
11:54and the elderly.
11:55If our diarrhea gets worse,
11:57we get dehydrated.
11:58It's just a simple tip.
12:00If you have doubts about drinking water,
12:01boil it for 2 minutes.
12:04If it boils,
12:05the water will boil
12:06for 2 minutes.
12:07Turn it off,
12:08leave it covered.
12:08When it's cold,
12:09you can drink it.
12:11That's the secret.
12:12And maybe,
12:14Asek Albert,
12:15a message and
12:16a reminder again
12:17to our fellow countrymen
12:19who are watching us right now.
12:21Thank you, Asek Dale.
12:22According to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.,
12:25the Department of Health
12:26and all local government units
12:28continue to provide
12:30health services,
12:32not just in evacuation centers.
12:34That's the additional.
12:35But continuously,
12:37all DOH hospitals,
12:38operational,
12:39all of our health workers,
12:41are on alert and ready to help.
12:44The DOH is here for you
12:46according to the orders
12:47of our beloved President.
12:48Okay, let's be careful, fellow countrymen.
12:50Thank you very much for your time.
12:53Assistant Secretary Dr. Albert Domingo,
12:56the spokesperson
12:57of the Department of Health.
12:59Thank you, Asek Dale.