PH Red Cross sets up medical tents in Bogo for Cebu earthquake victims

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) has completed the installation of at least two air-conditioned medical tents to augment the healthcare capacity of Bogo City, which has been pushed to the limit following the magnitude-6.9 earthquake that rocked northern Cebu.

In a series of social media posts, the PRC said the tents are "now fully functional" at the Cebu Provincial Hospital in Bogo City.

It equips healthcare workers with a 20-bed extension ward and a stabilization area for patients. This helps decongest the hospital and services patients who can no longer be accommodated inside the medical facility.

As of Friday, the PRC said, at least 30 patients in need of urgent medical attention had been accommodated inside the tents.

"To sustain operations, PRC has mobilized a dedicated team of 2 doctors, 5 nurses, and 12 student nurses — all working tirelessly to care for the heavily affected earthquake population," the PRC said.

Bogo City is the epicenter of Tuesday night's earthquake that left 68 people dead and 559 injured. Nearby towns in northern Cebu have also been affected by the disaster.

Just hours after the earthquake, the bodies of some fatalities were lined up outside a hospital not far from the waiting area of injured patients.

The provincial hospital in Bogo City has already reached full capacity as patients and bodies arrived from the affected communities.

According to an RTV report Tuesday on 24 Oras, most of the fatalities logged were from Bogo City with 30, followed by San Remegio with 22, Medellin with 10, Tabogon with 5, and Tabuelan with one. 

In the midst of the chaos on the night of the earthquake, a doctor assisted a mother in delivering her baby on the sidewalk after she was evacuated from a hospital.

Fresh water flows

Meanwhile, the Philippine Red Cross reported that it had distributed 49,000 liters of clean water on Thursday and Friday to 784 families, or about 2,500 individuals, in different barangays in Bogo City.

Barangays that received the fresh water supply include Binabag, Anonang Sur, and Gairan.

"Kapag may sakuna, hindi puwedeng maghintay ang pangangailangan ng tao. Dapat maagap, dapat tuloy-tuloy, at dapat abot sa pinaka-apektado," PRC Chairman Richard Gordon said in a statement.

(During a tragedy, providing for people's needs cannot wait. The response should be proactive, continuous, and reach the most affected sectors.) — VDV, GMA Integrated News