AN OFFICIAL from the Health Emergency Management Services-Disaster Risk Reduction Management in Health (HEMS-DRRM-H) at the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) reassured the public that all the hospital buildings remain safe despite recent earthquakes.

Florante B. Perez, III, RN, assistant manager of HEMS-DRRM-H at SPMC, made the assurance during the Kapihan sa PIA at the NCCC Victoria Plaza on Friday, December 15, adding that the emergency facility management inspects all buildings after every earthquake occurrence.

“Lahat naman po as of karon, the recent earthquake, safe pa naman po tanan nga building nato. There are notifiable damages, but according to our engineers it’s not that dangerous (As of the recent earthquake, all our buildings are safe. There are noticeable damages, but according to our engineers, they are not dangerous),” Perez said.

The hospital has engaged the Department of Public Works and Highways-Davao Region (DPWH-Davao) and the City Engineer’s Office (CEO) since 2019 to assess buildings following multiple strong earthquakes.

In 2023, an in-hospital disaster team and engineers conducted assessments, confirming the safety of the buildings.

Addressing evacuation challenges, Perez emphasized the difficulty of evacuating hospitals, considering bedridden patients, those in wheelchairs, newborns, and patients undergoing operations.

(Read full story on sunstar.com.ph/davao)