The Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday, Oct. 14, unveiled a quadrant-based emergency response system that designates key hospitals across Metro manila to lead medical operations in the event of a major earthquake, commonly referred to as “The Big One,” striking the National Capital Region (NCR).
The initiative comes amid a series of recent earthquakes that have struck various parts of the Philippines, underscoring the urgency of disaster preparedness.
Health Secretary Ted Herbosa announced that Metro Manila has been divided into four medical quadrants — North, East, West, and South – – to ensure an organized and rapid medical response during large-scale disasters.
“Regions are supposed to support the other regions, hospitals will support other hospitals,” Herbosa said.
He explained that the quadrant setup will allow nearby DOH hospitals to back up other medical facilities that may be overwhelmed or damaged in the event of a catastrophic earthquake.
DESIGNATED HOSPITALS BY QUADRANTS:
North Quadrant
- Dr. Jose N. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital and Sanitarium
- San Lorenzo Ruiz Women’s Hospital
- Valenzuela Medical Center
- East Avenue Medical Center
- National Children’s Hospital
- Philippine Orthopedic Center
- Quirino Memorial Medical Center
- Lung Center of the Philippines
- National Kidney and Transplant Institute
- Philippine Heart Center
- Philippine Children’s Medical Center
East Quadrant
- Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center
- Rizal Medical Center
West Quadrant
- Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital
- National Center for Mental Health
- San Lazaro Hospital
- Tondo Medical Center
- Dr. Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center
South Quadrant
- Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM)
- Las Piñas General Hospital and Satellite Trauma Center
EMERGENCY RESPONDERS
The DOH chief stressed that health workers must first ensure their families’ safety before reporting for duty, saying responders cannot perform effectively if they are preoccupied with their loved ones’ welfare during a major earthquake.
The health department, he said, implements mandatory rest periods for responders to prevent burnout and ensure continuous operations during crises.
“When you start to see that among our team members, we mandate a mandatory rest period, we actually put them aside and tell them to stop kasi they will become the victim,” he said.
“Sa emergency response 24 hours… pero tao tayo we are human beings and we have limits,” he added.
Herbosa said government doctors and nurses remain emotionally resilient and ready to respond despite the daily challenges faced in the public health system. (Jel Santos)
