Press Release/ 4 March 2010 The Department of Health (DOH) reported today that 16 out of the 20 DOH-retained hospitals in Metro Manila have fully complied with the directive on phasing out the use of all apparatuses or devices in the healthcare system that contain mercury. The phase-out is in keeping with Administrative Order No. 2008-0021 which mandates the gradual phase-out of mercury in all Philippine health care facilities and institutions. The move to stop the use of all medical devices containing mercury was jumpstarted in 1991, when the World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that a safe level for mercury that would not have any adverse effects on a person’s health has never been established. read more

Press Release/ 19 February 2010  The Department of Health’s National Center for Health Promotion (NCHP) and National Center for Disease Prevention and Control (NCDPC) recently released a health advisory to the public as the country begins to feel the effects of El Nino. The El Nino phenomenon is characterized by extreme climactic conditions – either extreme temperature rise with a little rainfall, and the opposite extreme, unusually heavy rainfall. The former condition is what the Philippines is currently experiencing. “This extremely hot weather carries with it its own effects on health, so we came out with an advisory to inform the public about the potential health risks, and what they can do to safeguard themselves,” Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral said.  read more

Press Release/3 February 2010  The 21-man Philippine Humanitarian Team sent by the Department of Health (DOH) hit the ground running upon their arrival in quake-devastated Haiti, as they immediately rendered badly-needed medical services at two locations in the capital Port-au-Prince, Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral reported today.  Cabral disclosed that after consultation with the Health Cluster coordinator, Dr. Dana Van Alphen, the team chose to serve at the Hospitalier Eliazar Germain, a 45-bed facility one-and-a-half hours away from the United Nations base where the team had set up camp. The Philippine humanitarian team replaced the Miami Medical Mission, which had been managing the hospital until they pulled out last January 30. There the team performed debridement and other surgical procedures for wounded patients.  read more