The Bangsamoro government’s Ministry of Health (MOH) has placed all hospitals and other health facilities in the region on “code white alert” since Sunday, July 14, 2024, due to prevailing weather concerns.
This means all hospitals are directed to have services on standby, including ambulances, personnel, emergency teams, and other facilities, for possible influx of patients and health emergencies.
MOH has prepositioned essential supplies such as medicines, hygiene kits, and temporary shelters and conducted disease surveillance and nutrition assessments to mitigate health outbreaks in coordination with the different local government units, rural health units, and other concerned agencies.
Aside from relief efforts, the water, hygiene, and sanitation (WASH) team also distributed more than 5,000 aqua tabs to affected residents with comprehensive health promotion and education campaigns, which served as a proactive measure to protect communities against potential waterborne diseases resulting from the flooding.
MOH is also asking for additional assistance, including food, medicines, potable water, water containers, sanitation supplies, temporary shelters, and mental health and psychosocial support services.
The flooding experienced in the region since the second week of July has affected around 94, 395 families as of July 15, 2024.