SENATE Majority Leader Francis Tolentino eyes a floating hospital that would serve the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard.
“It is high time for the Philippines, an archipelagic nation, to have its own ‘floating hospital’ – just like other countries,” Tolentino said.
He added that the floating hospital could be immediately deployed in cases of medical emergencies in the high seas to attend to sick or injured soldiers and fishermen.
He cited the case of Robert Mondoñedo, one of the two fishermen whose banca capsized last week after colliding with a foreign commercial vessel in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
“It had to take hours before Robert was brought to a medical facility after he was rescued by the coast guard,” Tolentino lamented.
He also cited a recent case involving a sick soldier who had to be evacuated from the BRP Sierra Madre, a decommissioned warship that serves as a Philippine Navy outpost in the Ayungin Shoal.
“If we only had a floating hospital, then our soldier could have been treated right there. We do not need to evacuate and bring him over to Palawan,” Tolentino explained.
According to him, the floating hospital could also be mobilized to coastal and island communities during disasters like typhoons.
He recalled how military vessels from other countries, including hospital ships, were among the first to respond and deliver assistance to communities devastated by Typhoon Yolanda in 2013.
Editor’s Note: This is an updated article. Originally posted with the headline Tolentino wants floating hospital established for Philippine Navy, Coast Guard
