Presidential yacht BRP Ang Pangulo (ACS25) sustained its humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) operations for the victims of typhoon "Odette" as it attended to the medical needs of over 900 patients, the Philippine Navy (PN) disclosed Monday, Jan. 24.
In a statement, the Navy said that BRP Ang Pangulo with her onboard medical team logged 926 more patients from Dinagat Islands last January 21.
This brought the total served patients of the luxury-yacht-turned-floating-hospital to 2,540 since it started its humanitarian and disaster response (HADR) operations last month.
"With this effort, the government has given our countrymen access to medical attention, an essential service especially during calamities and disasters," the Navy said.
Upon the orders of President Duterte, BRP Ang Pangulo was repurposed as a floating hospital to address the medical needs of those who were affected by typhoon Odette when it struck Visayas and Mindanao on Dec. 16, 2021.
Dinagat Islands in the Caraga (Region 13) is one of the hardest hit areas by Odette.
Most of those who were treated were suffering from water-borne diseases such as diarrhea and dehydration due to the lack of potable dringking water in the affected communities.
Aside from medical operations, personnel of the BRP Ang Pangulo also distributed relief goods to patients and provided psychosocial interventions to children.