406 First philippine holdings single, mass casualty, and disaster medical emergency response strategy

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Introduction First Philippine Holdings (FPH) is involved in geothermal, wind, solar, gas, hydro-electric power operations, construction and real-estate; located all over the Philippines. Although measures are in place to manage risks and prevent injury and illness, a robust medical emergency and disaster response plan (MEDRP) as part of ‘recovery measures’ was needed in case of control failures.The Philippines is prone to natural disaster (typhoons, earthquakes, etc.). FPH needed a medical disaster response plan that will address needs of employees and dependents, contractors, and host communities post-disaster and recovery. Methods The corporate MEDRP Guide was developed and implemented. Site plans were reviewed, upgraded and integrated into site’s overall response plan. Drills were routinely conducted and reviewed to identify opportunities for improvement. Medical disaster plans leveraged on health resources coming from unaffected company locations. Lessons learned from super-typhoon ‘Yolanda’ (international name: Haiyan) were incorporated. Result The MEDRP operates in all major worksites. The tiered and time-based medical and mass casualty response plan has 5 levels: Level 1 – immediate bystander response, Level 2 – first aid response within 4 min, Level 3 – health professional within 1 hour, and Level 4 – casualty in tertiary care facility within 3 hours of the incident. Level 5 covers transfer to a specialist facility if needed via land, helicopter or fixed wing aircraft to designated specialist facilities in Manila. Health components of disaster response plans include: emergency provision of medical services, water supply and sanitation, information and communication systems in coordination with local government Discussion Developing a robust MEDRP was done via top-down approach working together with site end-users. Generic templates were developed, evaluated, and made specific at the site level ensuring fit-for-purpose and local ownership. The MEDRP is part of the overall ESH management system, managed just like any other business activity.