Earthquake in Nepal: Reaching the outlying areas
Malteser International to set up aid for hospitals and medical centers
The procurement and distribution of tarpaulins and hygiene supplies, as well as providing for the medical needs of those who have survived the catastrophic earthquake in Nepal is proceeding.
The advance team from Malteser International have begun to initiate aid measures, above all for hospitals and medical centers, outside of Kathmandu. Tarpaulins, hygiene kits and medical supplies will be made available in the villages of Dhunche, Dhulikhel und Chautara, which together have a combined population of around 25,000. “Providing psychological help for those who have been traumatised is also highly important,” says Dr Marie Benner, Public Health Expert with Malteser International.
Access to the outlying towns and villages is difficult. Often, due to the terrain, they are only reachable via an indirect route. “I am shocked by the unbelievable scale of the natural destruction,” Benner says. An experienced emergency relief coordinator, Dr. Benner led relief operations in the wake of the 2004 Asian Tsunami, and Typhoon Haiyan on the Philippines in 2013. For her, however, there was no doubt that “This aid operation for the people of Nepal is definitely the most difficult mission I have ever had.”
Malteser International will strengthen its complement of medical experts in Nepal at the weekend by sending a further Doctor, a Paramedic and a First Aider. Malteser International has been working in Nepal since September 2012 on projects to reduce the risk of damage from catastrophic flooding, as well as improve the provision of basic water, sanitation and hygiene facilities in the country.
About Malteser International:
Malteser International is the humanitarian relief agency of the Sovereign Order of Malta. With over 100 projects annually in some 25 countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas, Malteser International has been standing by those affected by poverty, disease, conflict and disaster, helping them lead a healthy life with dignity – without distinction of religion, race or political
persuasion. Christian values and the humanitarian principles build the foundation of its work. For more information: www.malteser-international.org and www.orderofmalta.int
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