DOH: Medical team in Haiti gets support from Pinoy community

The 21-member Philippine medical team in Haiti is getting ample support in ongoing rehabilitation efforts in earthquake-ravaged Haiti, Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral said Monday. Citing information reaching her, Cabral also said a new team of Filipino volunteers has come forward to be deployed to Haiti, although they will have to await further instructions. "So far wala akong natatanggap (na problema). Supisyente ang gamit nila sa panggagamot at pang-opera. Ang ating representatives ng DFA, ang diplomat, ayos ang pagtanggap sa kanila, ang Filipino community sa Haiti tumutulong sa kanila (So far I have not received any word of problems the team has encountered. Their medicines and operating equipments are sufficient, and our diplomats and the Filipino community are supporting them)," Cabral said in an interview on dzRH radio. Also, she said the United Nations (UN) has provided the team with at least two tents where they can stay. "Malaking sakripisyo talaga yan, ito [ang] ginagampanan nila bilang katungkulan di lang sa ating bansa kundi sa lahat na mamamayan ng mundo (This is s big sacrifice for our medical team. They are doing this not just as Filipinos but as citizens of the world)," she said. Meanwhile, Cabral said a new team of volunteers is now being assembled to replace the present team, if it needs to be relieved. The present team includes trauma surgeons, orthopedic surgeons, anasthesiologists, a pediatrician, an internist, a psychologist, five nurses, and three epidemiologists, and sanitary engineers. Cabral earlier said she expects the 21-member team to stay in Haiti for “two to three weeks" or even longer, depending on how long they are needed there. But she said the volunteers now coming out to form the second team will not automatically be deployed, as it will depend on the situation. "Pinaghahandaan pa lang. Noong Biyernes binigay sa akin [ang] tentative list ng volunteers, meron tayong ready volnteers na pupunta doon (We are just in the preparatory stages. I received a list of the volunteers last Friday, so we can at least have ready volunteers who will be deployed to Haiti if needed)," she said. - RSJ, GMANews.TV