Following the powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Davao Oriental on Friday, October 10, 2025, a woman gave birth to her first child safely at the evacuation area of the Davao Regional Medical Center (DRMC) in Tagum, Davao del Norte, according to the Department of Health (DOH).
DOH said the woman’s delivery will be covered fully by the Zero Balance Billing (ZBB) program.
She was among the 663 patients who were evacuated temporarily as part of precautionary measures implemented by DRMC.
All patients were transferred back back inside the facility after a structural integrity assessment confirmed that the hospital is safe.
Both the mother and child are in stable condition and were advised to return for follow-up checkups.
Meanwhile, patients in other hospitals in the region who were also moved temporarily to tents at the triage and evacuation areas have also returned inside the hospitals.
Patients at the Davao Occidental General Hospital (DOGH) and Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) were also evacuated temporarily as part of standard safety protocols while authorities conducted structural integrity assessments.
Generator sets at SPMC were immediately prepared to ensure an uninterrupted power supply.
Following the tremor, DOH held an emergency command conference to ensure prompt response to the needs of communities affected by the earthquake in Mindanao.
Among the DOH’s immediate actions are:
- Raising the Code White Alert across Centers for Health Development,
- Activation of Incident Command System and Emergency Operations Center,
- Additional Health Emergency Response Teams on standby,
- Inventory and monitoring of medical supplies, and
- Conducting Rapid Health Assessments in affected areas
DOH Secretary Teodoro Herbosa had directed all DOH hospitals to address the needs of affected residents and ensure readiness of medical facilities for those requiring care.
Herbosa also activated the Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Team (DOH-PEMAT) for deployment to Davao Oriental to support ongoing disaster response.
The three PEMAT groups being deployed are from DOH-PEMAT 44 Eastern Visayas Medical Center, DOH-PEMAT 45 Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium, and DOH-PEMAT 46 Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital.
As Emergency Medical Type 1 Fixex teams, they are equipped to operate outpatient servies or establish temporary hospital tents during disasters.
