In Western Visayas Gunshot injuries top death causes among policemen

ILOILO CITY, Philippines – Gunshot wound was the number one among the causes of death of policemen in Western Visayas, according to records of the Police Regional Office-6 Health Services.

Superintendent Arnulfo Billote, chief of RHS-6, said that other causes were vehicular accident, cancer, cerebro-vascular disease, liver disease, stab/hack wound, renal failure, lung disease and diabetes mellitus.

Last month, five of six police officers who died in Western Visayas were due to cardiac arrest, and only one died due to vehicular accident.

Billote said cardiac arrest or cardiopulmonary arrest ranked only seventh of the top 10 leading causes of death of police personnel from 2006-2010.

The most common risk factors for cardiac arrest are smoking, lack of physical exercise, obesity, diabetes, or family history, he said.

Earlier, Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol, Jr., PRO-6 director, was alarmed with the reports on deaths of five personnel due to cardiac arrest.

The fatalities were PO3s Zeus Chaves (who died on January 3) and Raul Tamba (January 31) of Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, SPO1 Gualberto Dimson, Jr. (January 11) of Bacolod City Police Office, PO3 Chibby Gayongorsa (January 30) of Iloilo Police Provincial Office and POI Maribel Duran (January 22) who died while undergoing the Field Training Program.

To lower the risk of heart ailments, Querol directed all police commanders to remind their personnel to observe regular physical exercises and keep a healthy lifestyle to avoid being victim of cardiac arrest.

"We have regular physical fitness test every semester but our personnel must not only exercise during the test but regularly. A 30-minute jog or walk everyday will keep us fit," he said.

Querol also said that every afternoon of Tuesday and Thursday of the week are scheduled for hataw or taebo exercises to sustain the campaign for physical fitness among the members of the police force.

He also advised his personnel to regularly visit the RHS-6 or their private doctors to check their health status. "An ounce of prevention is still better than a pound of cure," he said.