RP doctors to aid cyclone-hit Bangladesh

The Philippines will send a medical team to help relief efforts in Bangladesh, where a cyclone has killed at least 3,000 people.

A 15-man medical team from the Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) will fly to Bangladesh Wednesday for humanitarian mission.

The DOH said the team will be composed of six doctors, four nurses, sanitary engineer, medical technologists and an epidemiologist.

The doctors will include a surgeon, internal medicine, pediatrician, psychiatrist and one in emergency medicine.

The Health Department said the team, whose composition came from Center for Health Development in National Capital Region, Central Luzon, Regions IV-A and IV-B and Northern Mindanao, will be headed by Dr. Arnel Rivera, a member of the DOH Health Emergency Service and formerly with the Tondo General Hospital.

The team's members were pre-selected based on their capabilities and previous experience to similar situation.

Most of the team's members have been sent to similar medical missions abroad, apart from their exposure to local emergencies like natural calamities.

The medical team, Dr. del Mundo said will also bring $10,000 worth of medicines and other supplies for emergency surgical operations, and will stay for 10 days in Bangladesh to provide medical assistance to the people of the disaster-devastated country.

According to the DOH, the Philippines had already sent six medical teams abroad including Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia. The latest of this was during the 2005 earthquake in Indonesia.