As the country marks Vacation Hazard Prevention Month this April––and with millions of Filipinos trooping to the provinces and tourist destinations to celebrate the summer months––the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) urged local government units, health facilities, and the private sector to be conscious of safety and medical emergency protocols that need to be in place to ensure that accidents are prevented and properly addressed, if necessary.
“Summer is a great time to go on vacations with family and friends, opportunities to beat the heat by cooling down at the beaches in our provinces and in popular tourist destinations,” said PhilHealth Acting President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel R. Ledesma, Jr.
Ledesma pointed out that by putting PEOPLE first, “vacationers can be assured that efforts will be made to ensure their safety and well-being.”
“However, accidents and medical emergencies on vacations are realities that we should be prepared to encounter. Our message to LGUs, private establishments, and health facilities this summer is to please put PEOPLE first.”
According to PhilHealth, PEOPLE is an acronym for the following:
• Prevention: establishments and LGUs should install measures like signs or labels to warn vacationers of possible hazards
• Emergency preparedness: tourism stakeholders must have emergency preparedness plans for different medical emergencies
• Onsite first aid kits and equipment: basic first aid kits, common medicines, blood pressure monitors, or other medical equipment must be on hand to attend to possible accidents or medical conditions that require immediate treatment
• Personnel training: personnel employed in the tourism industry should be schooled in basic first aid in order to properly attend to medical emergencies
• Linkages: communication lines must be established between private establishments, health facilities, and LGUs to ensure that medical emergencies can be immediately attended to
• Extraction plans: in cases where medical treatments are not available, the LGU or local health facility must have plans in place to transport patients to the nearest medical facility that has the available health care
Ledesma pointed out that by putting PEOPLE first, “vacationers can be assured that efforts will be made to ensure their safety and well-being.”
“It’s a team effort, and the different tourism stakeholders all have to contribute to this endeavor. Kung may mangyari man, nandito po ang PhilHealth para tumulong sa mga gastusin sa ospital.”
