Boy loses hand from firecracker
A nine-year-old boy from Binalonan, now rues the day he unwittingly picked up a lighted firecracker lit by neighbors.
He will have to live through his adult life without his right hand after doctors at the Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC) amputated it from the wrist on December 27 to save his life.
He and six others were listed as the initial victims of firecracker explosions in Pangasinan since the countdown for victims started December 21.
A powerful firecracker bawang exploded in the boy’s hand after he picked up a lighted called “bawang” thrown his way by an unidentified neighbor said R1MC Director Roland Mejia in a news conference.
Another serious case was that of 16-year old boy from Bacayao Sur, Dagupan City who suffered a blasting injury in the buttock.
He reportedly threw a lighted firecracker that landed in front of a group of men on a drinking spree which one quickly picked up and hurled it back in the direction of the boy.
According to Dr. Michael Canto, spokesman of R1MC victims who caused the injuries to themselves by lighting the firecrackers will be charged the costs of treatment to teach them a lesson.
He pointed out that of the seven victims, the oldest was a 19-year old boy who was hurt when a firecracker he lit exploded on his chest.
Mejia said all the victims are from the Fourth District of Pangasinan, except an eight-year-old boy from Sual in the First District.
The Oplan “Iwas Paputok” campaign included R1MC as among three government hospitals in the region tapped by the Department of Health to monitor the number victims of firecracker explosions.
The other two are the Don Mariano Marcos Memorial Medical Center in Batac City, Ilocos Norte; and the Ilocos Training Hospital and Medical Center in San Fernando City, La Union.
R1MC has organized its Department of Emergency Medicine headed by Dr. Otto Raguindin to attend to all victims of firecracker explosions, including vehicular accidents that are expected on New Year’s Eve.
The newly formed department is the first of its kind ever formed by any government hospital north of Manila.
