PH medical aid team treats 4 Pinoys, 136 Burmese in Myanmar after quake —OCD

The Philippine Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent (PIAHC) provided medical aid to four Filipinos at a field hospital in Myanmar after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that hit the country last week, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said Sunday.

In a social media post, OCD said 136 Burmese were also treated in the Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Team (PEMAT) Type 1 fixed hospital in Bomingaung Temple in Bagan.

Among the consultation causes were hypertension, Type II diabetes, hypertensive crisis, arthrosis, muscle disorder, urinary disorder, wrist/hand injuries, conjunctivitis, pneumonia, and dorsalgia.

The PEMAT also addressed 21 event-related cases.

Meanwhile, four Filipinos remain unaccounted for in the quake's aftermath. They are believed to be trapped in the rubble of the Sky Villa, which collapsed in Mandalay.

The March 28 Myanmar earthquake caused at least 3,000 fatalities, with hundreds more missing.

The Philippines sent the first batch of the humanitarian contingent on April 1.

Based on the latest situation report as of Sunday, OCD said the PIAHC's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team joined local and foreign rescuers in search for possible survivors at Jade City Hotel in Naypyitaw.

Following approval, 25 contingents from the PIAHC USAR boarded a bus and arrived at the International Language & Business Centre International School in Mandalay.

The OCD earlier said that despite wanting the Philippine humanitarian contingent to be part of the search for Filipinos, the team has to comply with the coordinated effort on disaster response involving international teams.

"We really wanted our humanitarian contingent in Myanmar to be the ones to locate are kababayans, who are believed to be trapped in the rubble of the Sky Villa," OCD Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said. — Mariel Celine Serquiña/BM, GMA Integrated News