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DOH chief sets New Year's eve inspection of govt hospitals


Expecting New Year festivities to peak in the next 24 hours, Health Secretary Enrique Ona is scheduled to go around government hospitals in Metro Manila to make sure they are ready to deal with revelry-related injuries. Radio dzBB's Carlo Mateo reported Ona planned to inspect government hospitals, including the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center in Manila and East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City.
Government hospitals on Friday remained on Code White alert, meaning there should be adequate personnel and equipment at the hospitals to accommodate revelry-related injuries. Meanwhile, a nine-year-old boy was wounded in the knee after being hit by a stray bullet in northern Metro Manila before dawn Friday. Radio dzBB's Sam Nielsen reported the boy was rushed to the East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City for treatment. The report described the boy as a resident of Phase 12 in Tala, Caloocan City. 229 injuries recorded so far Before Friday’s incident, health authorities said at least 229 revelry-related injuries has been recorded. Of the 229 cases, 216 or 94 percent were due to firecrackers, eight (four percent) to stray bullets, and five (two percent) to fireworks ingestion. "This is 65 cases (40%) higher than the previous five-year (2005-2009) average or eight cases (3%) lower than last year. Out of the 17 regions, NCR (Metro Manila) reported the most (48%) cases," the DOH's surveillance update for Dec. 30 said. It said the death toll remained at one, a 44-year-old from Bulacan who reportedly committed suicide by swallowing piccolo powder. The Health Department noted that of the 216 cases reported as of Dec. 29, the age group most affected was the 1-10 year old group with 88 cases (41 percent). Some 182 of the 216 injured (84 percent) were male while 139 (64 percent) were active users or directly handled firecrackers. Also, 165 (77 percent) sustained blasts or burns without amputation, 18 (8 percent) had blasts or burns with amputation and 33 (15 percent) sustained eye injuries. "One hundred and sixty-three (76%) of the cases were caused by illegal fireworks of which 107 (50%) were due to piccolo," the DOH said. Kwitis was the second cause of injuries (21 percent); and Five-Star third (17 percent). Others included whistle bomb and boga (9 percent each), and pla-pla (8 percent). Twenty-six (12 percent) cases involved the influence of alcohol. Some 132 (61 percent) of the injuries occurred in the street. Before Friday’s incident, at least eight cases of stray bullet injuries were reported, six of which involved male victims. Half of the injuries occurred on the street. At least five cases of fireworks ingestion were reported, three of which involving piccolo. — LBG, GMANews.TV

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