As a regional referral center of the Department of Health, the Western Visayas Medical Center in Iloilo City is among hospitals nationwide on Code White alert status in relation to the New Year revelry.

The hospital expects the rise in the number of patients.

Code White alert is up until January 6, 2024.

Western Visayas Medical Center expressed of its readiness in catering to patients, most especially fireworks-related injury cases.

“Kung ang pasyente natin ay gagamitan ng thoracostomy set ibig sabihin ay natusok ang kanyang baga, may problem sa paghinga ang pasyente, at ang gagamitin para i-suture o tahiin ang sugat ng pasyente,” Dr. Maria Doris Cordova, head of the Emergency Operations Center and Patient Navigation and Referral Unit of Western Visayas Medical Center, said.

A separate emergency entrance and trauma room is dedicated to attend to patients of fireworks-related injury.

The hospital has also beefed up on its capacity to attend to cases of asthma or victims of passive exposure to smoke from pyrotechnic devices.

As of this writing, the Department of Health 6 has recorded 34 fireworks-related injury cases in Western Visayas from December 21-28, 2023.

Dr. Cordova shared first aid procedure to deal with fireworks-related injury.

“[If] may finger na na-amputate preferably find that finger but do not place sa ice. Just wrap it with plastic and bring that finger together with the patient sa emergency department. With the eye, usually it is either punctured or [may] object/foreign body. As much as possible do not rub. Do not put anything like soap. Just run it with water if it is chemical, but if it is a punctured wound sa eye, do not touch [it]," she added.