Today, doctors treated their first patients in the Canadian Red Cross emergency field hospital in the Philippines.
“Our teams on the ground have been working around the clock to get the hospital going,” says Conrad Sauvé, secretary general and CEO of the Canadian Red Cross, who has recently returned from the Philippines. “Now that this hospital is in place, we will be able to cover the health needs of a population of more than 100,000 people.”
The hospital is set up in front of the local district hospital in the city of Ormoc, which is on the west coast of the island of Leyte. The local hospital was only operating at 20 per cent capacity after the typhoon, as it was flooded and the roof destroyed. The Canadian Red Cross-led field hospital is working closely with local hospital staff and other emergency health providers to ensure the population has access to all services, including surgery, medicine, maternal and child care and outpatient services.
“The Canadian Red Cross emergency field hospital will provide health support for up to four months to the typhoon-affected population in the Philippines,” said the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie. “Through Canada's continued collaboration with experienced humanitarian organizations such as the Canadian Red Cross, we can help ensure that vital health services are reaching those most in need."
Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Philippines on November 8, and has caused widespread destruction. The Red Cross has been on the ground since before the storm hit, helping to evacuate families in coastal areas and supporting emergency shelters, is providing urgently needed basic services to affected communities. The International Red Cross is co -ordinating closely with the Philippine Red Cross and has a global network of trained disaster response experts who are assisting in the recovery.
Canadians wishing to help those affected by this storm are encouraged to make a financial donation online at
www.redcross.ca, at their local Red Cross office or by calling 1-800-418-1111. Please earmark donations “Typhoon Haiyan”. The Government of Canada will match the donations of individual Canadians between November 8 and December 9, 2013.