Divvy Kant Upadhyay, Manipal
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (GA)
Udupi, Sep 9: A team from the Manipal University's Kasturba Medical Colleges at Manipal and Mangalore has left to provide medical relief to victims of the devastating floods in the state of Bihar.
Among several volunteers the team has two doctors each from community medicine and internal medicine. A peadiatrician will specifically attend to children's problems. A pharmacist and nurse are also accompanying the team.
The Manipal University team leader Dr Ramchandra Kamath, faculty in community medicine at KMC Mangalore said he looked forward to participate in the medical relief operations along with a team lead by Dr Akiko Fujimoto from the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA) which is headquartered in Okayama, Japan.
The Japanese team which has previously worked with the Manipal University team in the Gujarat earthquake and the Tsunami relief operations carries with it high-end satellite communication systems using which the team sends daily progress reports to the base.
Dr Kamath said "Since the rescue and evacuation efforts are almost done, the time for providing relief work for the millions displaced has started now." The medical team will report to the Additional Commissioner of Disaster Management Cell in Patna, Bihar who will guide them to flood-hit areas strictly on-need basis so as to achieve maximum utilization of different medical teams.
"At present reports indicate diarrhea and skin infections are rampant in the flood hit zones," said Dr Kamath. He added that their primary targets will be to save the children, the mothers and the elderly. He informed that the team is carrying with them several antibiotics, pain killers, IV fluids, ORS powder, anti-malarial drugs, emergency medications and surgical kits.
Manipal University registrar (international programmes), Dr H Vinod Bhat who is coordinating efforts from Manipal said "The team is carrying medicines worth one lac rupees. Fresh supplements of medicines and fluids will be sent as per the demand on the ground in the camps." He added that initially the first team will be stationed at Bihar for a month and in the meanwhile, back-up assistance teams of doctors and volunteers will be made ready to go at a moments notice."
Dean of Kasturba Medical College Manipal Dr Sripati Rao lauded the efforts of the University in sending the team to Bihar. He also informed that various students from different colleges of the University, especially from the Manipal Institute of Communications were in the process of collecting funds to be sent to the government of Bihar for the flood relief operations.
The devastating floods have left millions homeless and prone to morbidity and mortality in Bihar.