Yolanda feared to create new generation of Pinoys with disabilities

MANILA, Philippines - The World Health Organization  (WHO) has expressed concern that Typhoon Yolanda will create a new generation of Filipinos with disabilities.

The WHO said this could happen when the injured “do not always have timely access to medical and rehabilitation services.”

As of latest count, nearly 27,000 people were injured, 5,936 were killed and 1,779 still missing, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said yesterday. The monster storm has affected 2,602,584 families or more than 12 million people from 12,122 villages in 44 provinces, 591 towns and 57 cities in Mindanao, the Visayas, and Bicol and Southern Tagalog regions, the NDRRMC added.

WHO Representative in the Philippines Julie Hall has underscored the need for typhoon victims to have “greater access to rehabilitation and other critical services.”

“Hospitals in Manila and across the affected region are already treating around 20 people with spinal cord injuries, dozens with amputations and many more with serious fractures. With some of the more remote areas now accessible, we’re also seeing a second wave of people reaching hospitals with injuries,” Hall said.

The health agency is also concerned about the welfare of people who are living with disabilities prior to the disaster. Typically, these people are more vulnerable during emergencies because they are less able to escape from hazards and often lose essential medications or assistive devices during disasters.

“Items like glasses, hearing aids and wheelchairs were swept away by the storm or left behind by people trying to flee,” Hall said.

“One can only imagine the terror of being caught in a storm of this magnitude and not being able to run for cover or see a path to safety,” she added.

WHO has been working with the Department of Health to coordinate emergency health response, including the deployment of more than 60 foreign medical teams to the ravaged towns and cities to revive medical services.

But Hall said more is needed to ensure people with disabilities have sufficient food, water, shelter, latrines, health services and equipment, including artificial limbs and mobility devices.

“Rehabilitation for those who have been injured and ensuring those with disabilities can once again perform everyday activities will be vital to helping them return to their communities and rebuild their lives and livelihoods,” she added.   

Australia’s long-term commitment

Meanwhile, Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop has pledged the Australian government’s long-term commitment to the Philippines’ rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

This is apart from providing additional A$10 million (P400.877 million) in assistance which would be coursed through United Nations Children’s Fund, UN Population Fund, WHO and local non-government organizations. 

Bishop made the pledge when she met with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario last Sunday after she visited Leyte to personally survey the scale of the destruction and the ongoing post-disaster response on the ground.   

Amid the chaos in the typhoon-hit areas, there are haunting messages for the lost. 

Churchgoers browse lists of missing people and look at posters appealing for help that are pinned up at entrances to cathedrals.  –  With Pia Lee-Brago, Jaime Laude