THE Department of Tourism (DoT) said it will establish tourism first-aid facilities in Boracay, Siargao, Panglao, Palawan, La Union, and Puerto Galera.
Tourism Secretary Maria Esperanza Christina G. Frasco made the announcement in a signing ceremony on Monday.
The DoT signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Health (DoH) and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) to set up the facilities.
“With infrastructure to be built by TIEZA, we shall tap the expertise of DoH in the operation of healthcare facilities, as well as the experience of their personnel in handling emergencies and providing immediate intervention to safeguard the lives of our tourists,” Ms. Frasco added.
“In identifying the initial areas for this project, we took into consideration the number of tourists visiting the destinations as well as accessibility to healthcare facilities or lack thereof,” she said.
Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa said that the first aid areas will be manned by emergency doctors and family doctors to deal with injuries and emergency cases.
“It’s not realistic that we build hospitals everywhere… so this is a way of reaching these remote areas,” Mr. Herbosa added.
Ms. Frasco said the DoT is hoping to complete the first facility in La Union by the first quarter.
She added that the facilities will serve as a base for emergency first response for visitors injured in accidents.
Ms. Frasco added that the second floor of the first aid facilities will host lifeguard stations and observation decks. — Adrian H. Halili
