Health at the heart of a nation’s healing

Last Friday marked six months since the full fury of Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) struck the central Visayas region of the Philippines. In a country which is no stranger to natural disasters, the magnitude of this typhoon now ranks as the worst natural disaster ever to strike the Philippines and one of the strongest typhoons on record globally.

The roll call of statistics, including more than 16 million affected, 4 million displaced, 28,689 injured, 1,061 missing, and over 6,300 dead, are hard to comprehend. The devastation across the Haiyan corridor was of epic proportions. Six months later, communities are starting to recover.

In the immediate aftermath of the typhoon, the Australian Government, the WHO Philippines Country Office and many other donors and partners responded swiftly and generously. The WHO, in support of the Philippines’ Department of Health, coordinated over 150 foreign medical teams and international non-government organizations that arrived within days of the typhoon.

The Australian Medical Assistance Team (AusMAT) was the first fully functional surgical foreign medical team in the region after Haiyan.  AusMAT established a surgical field hospital in Tacloban City airport which provided critical support to 3,281 patients after the typhoon including 238 life-saving surgeries. The Australian field hospital worked around the clock and side-by-side with Filipino volunteer-nurses.

In addition, the Australian Government, as part of its response and recovery assistance to people and areas affected by Haiyan, has supported the WHO financially to carry out critical health work including an emergency vaccination campaign to prevent the spread of measles and polio; clean and safe deliveries for the tens of thousands of babies born in the region since the typhoon struck; coordinating the distribution of over 500 tons of life-saving medical supplies; and monitoring of potential disease threats and preventing disease outbreaks through SPEED, a post-disaster disease surveillance system developed with support from the Australian Government.

Our joint work continues. What remains long after the glare of the spotlight fades are the people who are starting to rebuild their lives, their communities and their way of life. Which brings us to this point and the question of, where now for health care?

We must ensure essential health services continue to be delivered across the Haiyan corridor and that the Philippine Government has adequate resources and support not just to rebuild, but to build back better, stronger and fairer. We are strongly supportive of the Government’s policy to ensure universal health care for the poorest and most marginalised.

Typhoon Haiyan damaged over 582 public health facilities. Mapping where these facilities are, assessing whether these need to be retrofitted or rebuilt elsewhere, and where these need to be rebuilt will ensure government and foreign aid funds are targeted appropriately as people resettle and population health needs change. Robust health facilities are also critical to treat diseases such as diabetes, cancer and tuberculosis which are some of the Philippines’ biggest killers.

Of particular concern to both the Australian Government and the WHO is to support the 220,000 women who are currently pregnant in the affected region of which 8,500 are young mothers under 19 years old. Equipment and training for midwives is being planned over the coming months.

Further efforts to prevent disease have been undertaken through ensuring access to clean drinking and washing water. Getting clean water to those who need it, training those responsible for the regular inspection of water supplies, and teaching communities about the importance of safe water and good hygiene practices are all happening on the ground.

Together, we have also been training and building the capacity of local health workers on a range of other health issues – from psychological and community-based mental health care to disease surveillance and monitoring.

Six months on, together we have made real progress. The Filipino spirit and resilience is legendary, but that alone will not be enough. The chance to build health infrastructure and health systems is a historic opportunity we should, and need, to seize.

As the next rainy season fast approaches, we need a health infrastructure that can withstand future natural disasters, we need a health system with the staff and resources for the long-term to support existing and emerging health needs, and we need the people to be better prepared for future disasters and able to withstand its impacts. Establishing universal health coverage for all Filipino citizens is critical so that affordable, quality health care is available to all. Continued investments in health prevention are essential to ensure the physical resiliency of Filipinos in the face of the threat of future natural disasters.

As the country continues its successful economic development it needs a healthy population to support this growth. That is why investment in health is an investment in the future of this proud nation and resilient people.