18 Cordillera health facilities affected by typhoon ‘Uwan’

Some 18 health facilities in the different parts of the Cordillera had been damaged by the recent wrath of Typhoon ‘Uwan’ in most parts of the country over the weekend.

Melanie June Pucay-Caleno, head of the health department’s health emergency management unit in the Cordillera, said that the damaged health facilities are composed of 13 barangay health stations, 3 rural health and district health centers, 1 hospital and a drug rehabilitation center.

However, she claimed that the damaged health facilities are still operational except for one barangay health station in Tanudan, Kalinga which was reportedly washed away by rising waters of the river at the height of the weather disturbance.

The DOH-CAR -HEMU head stated that the damages that were inflicted by the typhoon to the said facilities are leaking walls and roofs, blown away roofs among other minor damages which could be immediately addressed using the agency’s limited resources.

The damaged hospital is the Luis Hora Regional Memorial Hospital while the affected center is the Regional Drug Rehabilitation Center which are both located in Bauko, Mountain Province.

She pointed out that the agency is working out the provision of the necessary funds that will be used to repair the damages that were inflicted on the said health facilities although their respective operations remain uninterrupted as they were able to implement their contingency plans to prevent the delays in the delivery of basic health services to the people within their respective jurisdictions.

The health department had been a key pillar in the government’s overall disaster risk reduction and management at the height of the onslaught of the weather disturbance to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of basic health services to the people, especially those who have been impacted by the heavy rains and strong winds brought by the typhoon. – Dexter A. See