DOH-7 Celebrates Disaster Month, Forms HEMS

The Department of Health (DOH) 7 is celebrating the National Disaster Consciousness Month from July 1-31, 2014 with various activities that will cater to save lives during disasters.

Dr. Expedito Medalla, Chief of Health Emergency Management and Staff (HEMS)of DOH 7 last Tuesday said that the celebration is in collaboration with all local government units (LGUs) in Central Visayas with a theme: Kahandaan at Kaligtasan ng Pamayanan, Pundasyon ng Kaunlaran.

Medalla, during the AGIO Forum hosted by the Philippine Information Agency(PIA)7 and DYMR Radyo ng Bayan Cebu, said in line with the celebration, the DOH7 has implemented Republic Act (RA)10121 a national law mandating certain government agencies to form HEMS group in every municipality together with the LGUs to create HEMS that would help all constituents when disaster occurs.

Municipal HEMS is composed of the following: Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP),Philippine National Police (PNP) LGU officials, tanods, and municipal and barangay health workers.

According to Medalla they are now busy in conducting training and seminars in every clustered municipalities all over the region to teach all aspects of disasters such as earthquake, fire,landslide, floods,typhoons and other related incidents that will occur in every locality.

He said that during trainings, officials and employes of the Philippine Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) are also invited to teach the primary things everybody must do during earthquakes.

“Every member agency already knows their respective role in times of emergencies and especially disasters”, Medalla said.

He said that RA 10121 was created after the country has experienced the 7.2 earthquake on October 15, 2015 and super typhoon Yolanda on November 9, of the same year.

Yolanda, which hit Tacloban City, Samar and northern parts of Cebu, killed almost ten thousand people giving lessons to all government authorities on the importance of preparedness, said Medalla.

During disasters the HEMS group will exhaust their all-out efforts to minimize deaths, and after the disaster the local HEMS will make a detailed report to him being in -charge of the regional HEMS, Medalla said.