While the devastating earthquake left over 20,000 dead and thousands
rendered injured, vulnerable and even disabled, and the city of Bangalore
panicked due to a tremor today morning, preparations were under way in the
city to extend a helping hand for the earthquake affected people in
Gujarat. A team of doctors from Bangalore, that comprises of medical
specialists like orthopaedicians, surgeons and paramedics, have just left
for the quake affected areas. The medical team from St. John's Medical
College Hospital, headed by Dr. Venkatesh, left Bangalore by the
Bangalore - Ahmedabad flight (IC 610) at 5: 45 pm, today (29th Jan). The
team is carrying life saving medicines and equipments weighing over 1.6
tonnes. The medicines are drawn up from the WHO list of essential drugs
that includes IV fluids, analgesics, and surgical materials. The team is
expected to reach Radhanpur, a place located 200 kms away from Ahmedabad
by tomorrow morning. The team will be working through a relief base set up
near Radhanpur by Medico Friend Circle, a national level network of
medical professionals and health activists. This relief base has been set
up near Radhanpur to cater emergency medical care exclusively in rural
pockets that has been neglected and under served by others. The rapid
response team from Bangalore is being facilitated by a group of national
and international voluntary organisations based in Bangalore, namely Oxfam
India, India Cares, Community Health Cell and Action Aid. The financial
assistance for this first medical team has been made possible from the
contributions from Care Today. Disaster relief and training Cell of St.
John's hospital is working in close co-ordination with these agencies to
organise more relief team who are expected to leave for Gujarat in the
coming days.
The above agencies, some of them specialised in disaster response work,
is working on an action plan regarding their involvement in the long-term
intervention that the earthquake-affected pockets will need. They are
also putting efforts to evolve a co-ordinated response to channelise the
humanitarian concern and assistance that the Bangaloreans have expressed.
A co-ordination meeting of voluntary agencies and charities in the city
is being organised tomorrow to plan future action.
On behalf of the above mentioned agencies,
Dr. Unnikrishnan PV, Fellow: Emergencies & Disasters, Oxfam India
Phone: Mobile : ++91 (0) 98450 91319
Parveen, India cares,Bangalore.
Phone: Mobile: ++91 (0) 98450 47739
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