The Department of Health yesterday placed hospitals in Metro Manila on Code Blue Alert to ensure the safety of millions of devotees participating in the “Traslacion” or Black Nazarene procession today.
“Hospitals in Metro Manila are Code Blue,” Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial said.
Ubial said they will be in constant communication with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
The DoH had earlier placed Metro Manila hospitals on Code White Alert for the procession. Under a Code White Alert, all hospital personnel are on standby for deployment and augmentation for medical and other services as necessary.
Code Blue Alert means that 50 percent of all hospital personnel shall report for duty to render medical and other services.
Ubial raised the possibility of placing Metro Manila hospitals on Code Red Alert in which 100 percent of hospital personnel shall report for duty to render medical and other services for the annual event.
“Depending on NDRRMC meeting, we might call code red alert soon,” Ubial said.
The DoH has deployed several medical teams for the procession.
“We have four DoH standby teams po sa MMDA (Gwapotel) Command kasama four partner teams from Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Philippine Red Cross. Eight hospital teams po will be deployed in eight segments of the route of Traslacion,” the DoH chief said. (Charina Clarisse L. Echaluce)