Disaster Risk Reduction efforts in the Philippines. Delivered in the ASEAN Meeting on Emergency Medicine in Bangkok 2015

1. Status of
Emergency Medicine and Disaster
Preparedness
in the
Philippines
Teodoro Javier Herbosa MD FPCS FPCEM
Professor
Emergency Medicine
College of Medicine
University of the Philippines, Manila
Undersecretary of Health (2010-2015)

2. Philippine Emergency Medicine
and Disaster Preparedness
• The present status of the emergency care system,
emergency medicine training, and the disaster
preparedness
• The plan to improve the emergency care system,
emergency medicine training, and the disaster
preparedness
• The future possibility to have the international
collaboration for emergency care system, emergency
medicine training, and the disaster preparedness

3. • The present status of the emergency care system,
emergency medicine training, and the disaster preparedness
• Emergency Care System
• Archipelago 7,107 islands
• Universal Health Coverage
• Public and Private Health system
• Decentralized Health
Governance
• Varied standards of Emergency
Care and Disaster Preparedness

5. Prehospital Care
• Philippine Society of Emergency Medical Technicians
• Local Government Units: Makati, Manila, Davao etc.
• National Bureau of Fire EMS
• DoH Regional Hospital EMS
• Volunteer Groups: Phil. Red Cross; ERUF etc
• Filipino EMTs are exported to EMS in Middle East:
KSA, UAE, Qatar etc

7. Modern Emergency
Medicine 1980's
• Philippine Society of Emergency Care
Physicians (PSECP) University of the
Philippines, Manila 1988
• Philippine College of Emergency Medicine and
Acute Care (PCEMAC) Makati Medical Center
1988
• Philippine College of Emergency Medicine 2008
• I year of Rotating Internship and 3 years of EM

9. PBEM
• Philippine College of Emergency Medicine
an autonomous body known as the
Philippine Board of Emergency Medicine
or PBEM with following functions:
➢Accreditation of Emergency Training
Program
➢Administration of the Specialty Board
Exam (AND in-service examinations)
➢Conferment of Diplomate status

10. 1. De la Salle University Medical Center
2. East Avenue Medical Center
3. Makati Medical Center
4. Ospital ng Makati
5. Pasig City General Hospital
6. St. Lukes’ Medical Center
7. University of Perpetual Help-DALTA Medical
Center
8. University of the Philippines-Philippine
General Hospital
9. Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center
Accredited:
(May 2015-May 31, 2018)

11. 1. Daniel Mercado Medical Center
(until September 30, 2015)
2. Taguig-Pateros District Hospital
(until May 31, 2015)
On-going accreditation
Manila Doctors Hospital
Partial Accreditation:

12. Disaster Preparedness
• NDRRMC National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council
• Regional DRR Mangement Councils
• Provincial DRR Management Councils
• City DRR Management Councils
• Municipal DRR Management Councils
• Barangay DRR Management Councils

14. Philippine Civil Society DRR
• Disaster response in the Philippines is truly a multi-sectoral and
mass-based endeavor.
• A major contingent to the disaster management structure is
composed of civic organization, non-government
organization, people's organizations, and all forms of
religious and social voluntary groupings.
• Partly because of their democratic political experience, the high
public awareness of the destructiveness of disaster, and partly
because the institutional framework for disaster management
has encouraged it, popular participation of the Filipino people in
disaster response is very broad, sustained, enthusiastic,
organized and ultimately decisive.

15. Philippine Civil society
DRR
• Private organizations have filled gaps in the government response as well as
augmented strained officials capacities.
• These include services such as medical care, search and rescue, emergency
housing and feeding, and many other needs.
• Initiatives in resource mobilization have allowed the country to tap aid from
unaffected areas to flow to affected areas.
• Many social institutions like Church, the schools, the media and professional
associations have become channels for popular participation in disaster
management.
• This broad response of the civil society provided the Philippine disaster response
with a depth and strength gained only from the cruel lessons of recent
disasters.
• This may be an important silver lining to dark clouds of disaster which had
the threatened the nation.

18. • The plan to improve the emergency care system,
emergency medicine training, and the disaster
preparedness
• Prehospital - Leadership & Governance;
Standards and Financing; Local Health Systems
Strengthening; correct brain drain
• EM Physicians - in every emergency department
in all public and private hospitals
• Disasters - Build Back Better; Capacity building;
Logistics and Supply Management; Resilence;
Research and Innovation Use of Science &
Technology, international collaboration

19. • The future possibility to have the international
collaboration for emergency care system, emergency
medicine training, and the disaster preparedness

20. International collaboration
• Classification of Disaster Teams
• Pre Registration of Disaster Teams
• Coordination with host government
• Pre arranged Coordination in ASEAN
• Review and Rating system
• Regional (International) DRR plans

21. Emergency Medicine and
Disaster Preparedness