Iloilo’s Hospital Management Office (HMO) assured that the province’s 11 district and lone provincial hospitals are ready to address any health-related incident that may arise during the observance of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day (Undas).

“We have an emergency team in every hospital. During holidays, we have skeletal forces in our hospitals (who) are ready to respond to any untoward incident,” said Dr. Francisco Ronnel Quiñon, officer-in-charge of HMO.

The HMO is awaiting orders from the Department of Health (DOH) to go on “white code” alert.

White code alert would be implemented from October 31 to November 3, Quiñon said, which means all hospital personnel would be put on standby in case of an influx of patients.

“We have an emergency medical team ready for first call, second and third. In case of mass incident and casualty, we can call our personnel to respond to any need,” he said.

Local government units could also mobilize their medical teams in cemeteries, he said.

Quiñon reminded the public to mind their health as they visit their loved ones in cemeteries and participate in the yearly observance of Undas.

Avoiding the rush in places of convergence is advisable, especially for senior citizens, children, and pregnant women, to avoid any health-related problem.

“We advise the public to bring with them umbrellas and any protective accessory to avoid too much heat from the sun. Likewise, we remind them to bring water for them to rehydrate,” he said.PNA