TACLOBAN CITY – A medical team from the Eastern Visayas Medical Center (EVMC) has been deployed to Myanmar to assist in earthquake relief efforts, as part of the Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Team (PEMAT) under the Inter-Agency Humanitarian Contingent (PIAHC).
According to Department of Health (DOH) spokesperson Albert Domingo, the EVMC team is one of three PEMAT groups recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), along with teams from Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital in Metro Manila and Jose B. Lingad Memorial Hospital in Pampanga.
These teams underwent assessment in clinical management, logistics, and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) in September 2024.
All three groups are classified as Type 1 Fixed Emergency Medical Teams and are fully prepared for deployment, the DOH said.
Marc Capungcol, DOH central medical officer, expressed pride in the EVMC team, saying they are on a “mission of compassion and service, bringing hope and healing to disaster-stricken communities.”
At least 18 medical personnel from EVMC were deployed to assist the national medical team in Myanmar, he said.
The EVMC sent three doctors with Dr. Ma. Ivy Lozada as the team leader. Other members of the team include nurses, a medical technologist, pharmacist, physical therapist, midwife, nursing attendants, logistics, administrative and finance staff, social worker.
They will stay in Naypyidaw, Myanmar for two weeks.
To recall, a 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar and Thailand last March 28, with the latest death toll at 3,085 deaths with hundreds remain missing and 4,715 wounded.
(JOHN LORENZ LESIGUEZ, LNU STUDENT INTERN)
