The Basey District Hospital; 6/2.

The Basey District Hospital, BDH, is located on the top of a hill in Basey on the Samar island in beautiful surroundings. The hospital is located so high that it was not hit by the waves caused by the supertyphoon Yolanda in November last year. However the hospital was very vulnerable to wind due to its unprotected localization. The roof of the hospital’s south wing was thus blown away, and many walls and much equipment within the hospital was also destroyed by the storm. The hospital was thereby out of function for a long time during the end of 2013.

Repair work has now been undertaken. The south wing has got a new temporary roof, inner walls have been rebuilt, and permanent roofing will be done within the next few months.

The Red Cross field hospital, the Emergency Response Unit (ERU), was erected in the sports hall in Basey town centre at the end of November last year and has served as a temporary emergency hospital for the population of the Basey district for two months now. The field hospital has now closed, and is now in the prosess of being dismantled. The Red Cross does, however, not want to leave this district with a health care vacuum as the ERU closes. The aim now, as we leave Basey, is to strengthen the local health care systems. In that connection we are happy to see that some of the equipment from the Red Cross field hospital now has been moved to the BDH on the top of the hill, and hence will continue to be of good help for people living in Basey. The main difference will be that the equipment will be in the hands of the local Philippino staff, instead of in the hands of the Red Cross staff.

Pictures show the refurbished operating theatre at BDH, ready to be equipped with surgical Equipment which will be placed there as a loan in the beginning.

The X-ray machine and development room, both from the Red Cross ERU, are temporarily established on the lawn outside the hospital’s main entrance in tents from the Red Cross ERU.

Alongside the X-ray tent, there are other ERU-tents which will serve as provisional housing for the dentist, lab, pharmacy, out-patient-department and storeroom while the hospital is being permanently repaired.

In a transision period medical Red Cross staff from the ERU will assist the staff at the BDH. The Picture below shows some of Our Philippine nurses from the Field hospital, now at work in the BDH.

We are all very happy to see how the Red Cross field hospital hence not only gave the population a safe health care system while the field hospital was in operation, but also can contribute to a permanent strengthening of the health service in the district.

We have had very good cooperation with Dr. Egos and her employees at BDH in this process, and will send our warmest regards to them for their good spirited cooperation! We wish Basey District Hospital with its patients and employees all the best of luck in the future!

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