PH Red Cross supplies blood to dengue-hit provinces
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Tue, 23 Jul 2019 06:45:30 +0000
SEN. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), ordered the delivery of blood units to dengue-stricken provinces to augment the supply of the PRC chapters in the concerned areas.
“With the DOH (Department of Health) declaring a National Dengue Alert due to the rapidly increasing number of dengue cases observed in several regions in the country, we anticipate an increase in the demand for blood. The PRC renews its commitment to provide safe and quality blood, especially in the dengue-hit areas. We have already arranged for the shipment of blood in some provinces. We will do the same for other provinces,” Gordon said.
The PRC has initially arranged for 130 units of blood and 35 units to be shipped today to Iloilo and Aklan, respectively.
In response to a request from Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd, Gordon had ordered the deployment of air-conditioned emergency medical tents that could be used as extension wards to accommodate the overflow of patients in Iloilo due to rising dengue cases.
Four sets of emergency medical tents were deployed from the PRC warehouse in Subic which arrived in Iloilo via ferry last Saturday, while another four sets were deployed via C130 on Sunday.
“PRC’s medical tents will help decongest the overloaded wards and provide comfort to the patients and their families. Similar to how we addressed the measles crisis earlier this year, we will continue to work with DOH to identify and fill the needs in the most affected communities. The PRC is ready to deploy more tents to other areas where they are needed,” Gordon said, adding that ambulances and welfare desks are also ready. JAVIER JOE ISMAEL
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