Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (RD/SB)
 
Udupi, Mar 31: A team of doctors from Manipal University (MU) led by in-charge of the department of public health Dr Ramachandra Kamath collaborated with AMDA Multinational Medical Mission, Japan to provide medical relief operations to the people of Haiti soon after the earthquake in February. The team was felicitated by the University on Wednesday March 31.

The other members of the team were Dr Dinesh KVN an orthopedic surgeon from KMC Manipal , Dr Ashwin  Pai, general surgeon from KMC Mangalore and Raghavendra Nayak, trauma technician from Kasturba Hospital, Manipal. The team was later joined by anaesthesiologist Dr Martin Ma from Toronto General Hospital, Canada.

Dr Kamath said that the team was stationed at Hospital De Secouras, Gonaives, which is two hours drive away from Port Au Prince, capital of Haiti. About 2.2 lac people died in the earthquake, while about 1.5 million people were displaced and an estimated 7 lac people are living in tents.  

The team handled the emergency cases in the casualty and also examined the inpatients on treatment who were waiting for surgical care. Most of the cases were Open fractures, injuries.

The team also performed surgeries – Skin grafts for the patients who had suffered injuries during the earthquake. Different operations included an amputation for a gangrenous foot, dynamic compression plating for a fracture femur and closed reduction and plaster cast application for fracture cases. Post- operative care and emergency calls were attended to. Apart from the emergency procedures, the team performed routine operations for cases like Hernia and appendicitis. 

MU has previously collaborated with AMDA, Japan in responding to calls for emergency medical relief from disaster-hit areas like in the Bhuj earthquake, Tsunami and Bihar floods.

Dr H Vinod Bhat, professor of community medicine and registrar (international programmess) of MU said that ‘there is tremendous scope for improving the effectiveness and efficiency in the field of emergency relief work that is carried out at natural disaster sites.’