3 PH emergency medical teams join WHO roster
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Three emergency medical teams from the Philippines made it to the roster of the Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) for the first time, enabling these to respond to international emergencies.
Their inclusion in the WHO roster was the result of the verification done by a global classification team on the compliance of the Philippine Emergency Medical Assistance Teams (PEMaT) in Luzon, Metro Manila and the Visayas with international standards, a copy of the announcement showed.
“Using the agreed standards outlined in the document ‘Classification and Minimum Standards for Emergency Medical Teams’ (2021), the team confirms that PEMat-Luzon has demonstrated that they meet the principles and core standards of an internationally deployable EMT and the technical standards of an organization capable of deploying as an EMT Type 1 Fixed,” the five-member team stated in a letter dated Sept. 20.
According to the WHO website, an EMT Type 1 Fixed can “provide outpatient initial emergency care of injuries and other significant health care needs.” It means the team is “capable of treating at least 100 outpatients per day and function during daytime.”
“Key services include: triage, first aid, stabilisation, referral of severe trauma, nontrauma emergencies, and care for minor trauma injuries. Type 1 fixed teams can work from suitable existing structures or supply their own fixed or mobile outpatient facilities, such as tents or special equipped vehicles,” the WHO data sheet said.
The teams
PEMat-Luzon is now officially listed as WHO EMT No. 46.
The PEMat-Luzon was organized by the Jose B. Lingad Memorial General Hospital (JBLMGH) in the City of San Fernando in Pampanga and consisted of 141 medical professionals from JBLMGH and the Mariveles Mental Wellness and General Hospital, according to Dr. Alfonso Danac, one of its team leaders.
The PEMaT-Metro Manila was organized from the Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium in Caloocan City while the PEMaT-Visayas was drawn from the Eastern Visayas Medical Center located in Tacloban City, Leyte.
According to WHO, “providers of EMTs that will engage in the global classification process, classification may give confidence to donors to fund registered EMTs.”
The classification also means the team can be invited to be deployed and authorization to operate on arrival in the disaster location.
“On arrival, the EMTs will be able to benefit from logistic support onsite and receive guidance on what the best place is to set up their units so they don’t lose time to start working on a designated site,” the international agency said.
The PEMat-Luzon was one of the team responders of the Philippine contingent to 2023 earthquake in Andyaman, Turkey, according to JBLMGH medical director Dr. Monserrat Chichioco.
“Our tasks has now shifted to another chapter of working our way towards streamlining our logistics and processes,” Danac said in a statement on Saturday.
