Dinagat Islands after Typhoon Rai (Odette) swept across the area in December 2021. Phillipines, 2021. © MSF/Chenery Lim
The typhoon has severely impacted the lives of tens of thousands of people on these islands. Many have lost their homes and livelihoods, and are struggling to access healthcare and clean drinking water. It is crucial to make basic services available again immediately to avoid the spread of waterborne diseases.Chenery Ann Lim, emergency medical coord
Doctors Without Borders response
Dinagat
On the island-province of Dinagat, around 30,000 houses and much of the local infrastructure were destroyed by the typhoon. There was previously only one medical doctor attending 36,000 people in Basilisa. In addition, the three sea ambulances that were ferrying patients needing specialised care outside of the island are out of order or were affected during the typhoon.
During our assessment, we saw patients with upper-respiratory tract infections, acute watery diarrhoea and hypertension. In one town, some people had been bitten by stray dogs.
Our teams will support local healthcare workers and deploy staff to the Dinagat District Hospital and health units of Basilisa and San Jose, which were badly damaged and need to be rehabilitated. We will refer patients in need of additional care by supporting a system of sea ambulances.
A member of the Doctors Without Borders assessment team surveys the damage in Brgy. Navarro, Tubajon, Dinagat Islands. Philippines, 2022. © MSF/Chenery Lim
Damaged Dinagat District Hospital. Dinagat Islands province is one of the hardest hit areas by Typhoon Rai (Odette), which swept across the Philippines in December 2021. Philippines, 2022. © MSF/Chenery Lim
Damaged Dinagat District Hospital. Dinagat Islands province is one of the hardest hit areas by Typhoon Rai (Odette), which swept across the Philippines in December 2021. Philippines, 2022. © MSF/Chenery Lim
The municipality of Cagdianao in Dinagat Islands province is one of the hardest hit by Typhoon Rai (Odette), which swept across the Philippines in December 2021. Philippines, 2022. © MSF/Chenery Lim
Siargao and outlying areas
On Siargao island, in the province of Surigao del Norte, where various health facilities were also damaged, we will provide the community, including the first responders, with psychological first aid and mental health care, as well as support with patient referrals.
We will also launch mobile clinics in areas that have so far received little or no aid, including some outlying islands of Surigao City. Mental health support will be a key component of our consultations.
The supply of clean water is currently a huge concern despite the abundant availability of water in the area. The storage capacity and network of water has been badly affected in the aftermath of the typhoon, and the authorities have already attributed some deaths to acute gastroenteritis and leptospirosis, a bacterial infection that usually occurs after flooding or wading through contaminated water.
In response, we will be distributing hygiene kits and providing water and sanitation activities to increase access to clean drinking water in all areas of our emergency response.
Talisay, Surigao City. Typhoon Rai was the strongest storm to make landfall in the Philippines in 2021, affecting 11 regions and 38 provinces, leaving an estimated 407 dead and 1,147 injured. Philippines, 2022. © MSF/Chenery Lim
Typhoon Rai was the strongest storm to make landfall in the Philippines in 2021, affecting 11 regions and 38 provinces, leaving at least 405 dead, 65 missing and 1,261 injured, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
Doctors Without Borders has been providing support in the Philippines since 1984, especially in response to emergencies and natural disasters. In 2013, Doctors Without Borders was one of the first responders in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. In 2017, we provided support to internally displaced people following the siege of Marawi City.
We also run two stable projects in the Philippines: a tuberculosis project in Tondo, Manila, and in Marawi and Lanao del Sur we provide mental health care and treat non-communicable diseases.
