By FROILAN GALLARDO
Special Correspondent
DOCTORS treated some 40 earthquake victims after they complained of abdominal pains and vomiting after eating food donated by Good Samaritans Monday night.
Dr. Alijandrito Descaller, head of Lanao del Sur Integrated Provincial Health Office, said the victims were from the evacuation camps in Makilala town, North Cotabato.
He said it was timely that they set up tents at the Makilala park for their medical mission for the quake victims.
“Suddenly our tents were filled with patients complaining of food poisoning. Many were vomiting or sick with abdominal pain,” Descaller said.
When they asked the victims, Descaller said all of them suspected it was “pastil,” a meal of rice, eggs and beef meat, given by passing donors, as the culprit.
Descaller said the patients told him the meal was already “smelly.”
“They were hungry and have not eaten lunch so they decided to eat the meal,” he said.
Descaller said some of the patients with worse conditions were rushed to hospitals in nearby Kidapawan City Monday night.
He described the health conditions in the earthquake-devastated areas in North Cotabato as one of the worst he had seen.
“Many of the evacuation centers have only tarps for shelter and most of them do not have latrines,” Descaller said.
Descaller said rescue officials have difficulties in sending earth-moving equipment to satisfy the demand for latrines.
He said the lack of latrines posed potential health risks to thousands of quake victims in the evacuation centers.
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