DOH-MIMAROPA, Marikina LGU prepare roads to “Air Ambulance”

The Department of Health (DOH) MIMAROPA and local government of Marikina City on Monday signify their intention to finalize an agreement that will ensure patients from geographically disadvantaged areas of the region who need to be airlifted via “Air Ambulance” for the needed medical attention in hospitals in Metro Manila are fully served. (Photo: DOH MIMAROPA/ Facebook)

MANILA—The Department of Health (DOH) MIMAROPA and local government of Marikina City on Monday signify their intention to finalize an agreement that will ensure patients from geographically disadvantaged areas of the region who need to be airlifted via “Air Ambulance” for the needed medical attention in hospitals in Metro Manila are fully served.

Through a discussion held at the Office of the City Mayor, DOH MIMAROPA Regional Director Dr. Eduardo C. Janairo and Marikina mayor Marcelino R. Teodoro, along with other officials finally put forward into a reality the dream of DOH-MIMAROPA to have a designated lot/open space in the City of Marikina as landing zone of “air ambulance” of the regions to better served the disadvantaged patients that should be provided with the necessary medical attention during health emergencies to help save more lives.

They also agreed that Marikina Police will also participate and help in the service delivery by doing the proper coordination, supervision and control of traffic situations from the designated landing zones to the receiving hospitals where the patient will be brought during emergency situation (e.g. mother giving birth, heart attack, etc.)

For its part, according to Director Janairo, DH MIMAROPA is tasked to establish Emergency Operation Center (EOC), which will operate 24 hours and seven days a week in the provinces of MIMAROPA to determine patients needing medical attention.

Records like names, cases and the medical intervention will also be provided by DOH MIMAROPA to facilitate the carrying of procedures needed as an answer to the desire of President Rodrigo R. Duterte to allow the poorest and disadvantaged sectors receive the medical care that they deserved as part of achieving the vision of “Health for All, All for Health” agenda wherein the people living in distant areas of provinces in the country will not be deprived of the health service that they should receive.

“We will also coordinate with hospitals near the strategic designated landing zones in Marikina,” said Janairo.

He added that aside from nearby government hospitals within Marikina City like Amang Rodriguez Medical Center, the patient could also be accommodated or be brought to Quirino Memorial Medical Center and East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City.

Given the geographical setting of the provinces of MIMAROPA region, most of its constituents do not have enough economic resources to avail quality health care services especially maternal care, immediate medical and surgical intervention during health emergencies wherein most of the tertiary hospitals are located in Metro Manila.

In an interview, Teodoro told the Philippine News Agency that they easily agreed to the vision of the project, which he said was very important because that also outlined the spirit of “brotherhood” and readiness to lend a hand.

“I will ask my council to pass a resolution for the purpose of forging an agreement with other Local Government Units (LGUs) as protocol,” he said as part of formalizing the agreement to make it more purposeful and aligned with the achievement of its objectives.

The landing area that will be provided by City of Marikina is vital to the realization of the successful airlift of patients to the designated hospitals in Metro Manila as the DOH-MIMAROPA is about to launch its “air ambulance” project in the succeeding days

“We are glad that the City Council of Marikina has accommodated us…This can better serve the needy and help in saving more lives of constituents in MIMAROPA. Without this, we will really have difficulty in terms of having a designated landing area. No matter how many helicopters we will bring to MIMAROPA, if there will be no designated landing area that can provide better service, such can be futile,”