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Rhodina Villanueva - The Philippine Star
April 6, 2025 | 12:00am
The Philippine contingent boards a C-130 aircraft at Colonel Jesus Villamor Air Base, Pasay City, for deployment to Myanmar in support of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) operations on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.
Philippine Air Force via Facebook
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) is ready to send additional medical teams to quake-battered Myanmar if needed.
If authorities in Myanmar make an appeal, DOH Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said yesterday the department is willing to deploy additional health personnel there.
“It will all depend on the requirements and request of the receiving country, Myanmar. That is the international protocol,” Domingo said.
He stressed that the DOH is fully prepared for this kind of scenario even outside the country.
“Since the earthquake in Myanmar happened, the DOH has always been ready. We continue to be on call and will respond as directed by the President,” said Domingo.
The DOH on Tuesday deployed the Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Team (PEMAT) from Eastern Visayas Medical Center to Myanmar to provide assistance to earthquake victims and their families.
The team is composed of doctors, nurses, medical technologists, pharmacists, a midwife, nursing attendant, administrative, logistics and technical staff members.
The PEMAT will be in Myanmar for 18 days and will provide health services such as acute medical care, life support, trauma management, pharmaceutical provisions, isolation facilities and referrals.
The PEMAT is part of the Philippine Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent to Myanmar.
An update from the Office of Civil Defense Facebook page said the PEMAT Type 1 Fixed Hospital, located near Bomingaung Temple, officially began operations Friday. It provided free check-ups and medicines to residents and was launched with representatives from the Myanmar Ministry of Health and Ministry of Information. The hospital has already seen significant demand for medical services, with a queue forming shortly after it opened.
The DOH said apart from PEMAT Eastern Visayas, PEMATs from the Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital and Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium are equally ready to be dispatched to provide much-needed medical assistance to Myanmar.
The PEMATs were awarded the World Health Organization Emergency Medical Team badge which is proof that they are certified and recognized for international humanitarian deployment.
