LONDON, May 3, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
Doctors in Nepal have been
witnessing horrific injuries, as well "crush syndrome", which
happens when a limb has been compressed, and after the pressure is
released the blood floods the kidneys with toxins, causing kidney
and heart failure.
Hospitals are incapacitated, infrastructure has been decimated
and thousands of people are sleeping on the streets. With monsoon
season only weeks away, this is a catastrophe of the highest
order.
Humanitarian organisation Doctors of the World has sent 20
tonnes of medical supplies and an emergency team of 12 doctors and
surgeons to support survivors in Nepal. We have a 40-strong team already on the
ground and another emergency team, including doctors and surgeons,
who have recently arrived.
The charity has long-term maternal health programmes near
Kathmandu and in more rural areas
of Nepal, all of which are now
mobilized to assist the thousands wounded as a result of the
quake.
Hospital capacity, food access, hygiene and diseases are
especially pressing health concerns, especially given mass
homelessness after the earthquake, all of which will become worse
when the rainy season sets in.
Executive Director of Doctors of the World UK Leigh Daynes
said:
"We are at the very beginning of understanding the scale of this
disaster as we begin to reach those in rural outlying areas. And
access is still being hampered by blocked roads and damaged
infrastructure.
"We are facing huge logistical difficulties. As well as
roads being closed, aftershocks have prevented planes from landing
at Katmandu airport. On the first day, our staff counted at least
one aftershock every 20 minutes. The first days after a
disaster are the most critical. It is in this time that we can work
the most effectively on traumas, fractures and injuries sustained
by those crushed by rubble.
"Nepal's health system was
vulnerable before the earthquake, especially in rural areas. Now
the healthcare system has completely collapsed, hospitals and other
medical facilities are overrun and medics are in desperate need of
support.
"A third of children were malnourished, there was only one
doctor for every 5,000 people. Now it is a catastrophe. This is
partly the result of the failure of the international community to
invest in Nepal. Much like the
Ebola crisis in West Africa, we
failed to create a resilient health system that can cope with
catastrophes like this.
"The challenge now will be the organization of relief. Relief
organizations will all be arriving together, so we have to be
organized. We must not make the same mistakes as we did with the
Haiti quake where we all piled in
but did not cooperate enough to be truly effective.
"We also need to give credit to the solidarity of the Nepalese,
who were the first to respond and have worked tirelessly.
"Since hospitals are overwhelmed, we will continue to treat
diseases that were common before the disaster: gastroenteritis,
respiratory infections, fevers, and suchlike."
For interviews with staff here in the UK and on the ground in
Nepal contact:
Nick Harvey, +44(0)207-1675789 or
+44(0)7565-944042 (out of hours)
nharvey@doctorsoftheworld.org.uk