The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the Philippine College of Surgeons (PCS) have renewed their partnership to respond to disasters and mass casualty incidents.

PRC chair and CEO Dick Gordon and PRC secretary general Gwen Pang signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with PCS President Vivencio Jose Villaflor III and PCS Treasurer Joselito Mendoza in Mandaluyong City on Thursday.

Through the MOA, the two organizations pledged to optimize each other’s assets and medical services, including training surgeons in Emergency Medical Services for mass casualty incidents, such as large-scale disasters, especially earthquakes and typhoons.

In case of patient bed shortage in hospitals, the PRC would build Emergency Field Hospitals while member doctors of the PCS would provide emergency medical duties to these field hospitals.

Villaflor cited the PRC’s equipment and facilities – Volunteer Emergency Response Vehicles, Operations Center, and satellite internet – as key factors in the partnership.

The PRC-PCS partnership began in 2012. For 12 years, they have collaborated on mitigation training sessions, including mass casualty incident simulation exercises, pandemic preparedness activities, and the PRC’s annual Traslacion Operation. (PNA)