A five-member team from Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore is travelling to Nepal to camp at one of the worst-affected districts of Dhading.
The team that comprises of two doctors and three male emergency nurses will provide medical care and assess the health situation.
More teams to follow
This will be the first team that the institution plans to send to Nepal. More teams will follow depending on the need.
The team comprises Thomas Kurien Bhanu, assistant professor, Trauma and Orthopaedics, Ramesh Karki, who belongs to Nepal and is doing his internship at CMC, and three emergency and disaster nurses – T. S. Ravikumar, Arun Prasanth and R. Muthumani.
The decision to send a team from CMC came after request from partner mission hospital in Nepal for support. As of now, 35 persons, including doctors, nurses and other staff, have volunteered for the initiative, according to W. Sam David, mission network coordinator, CMC.
Communicable diseases
“Dhading is one of the worst affected districts in the quake-hit Nepal. There is a risk of communicable diseases following the disaster ,” he told reporters on Thursday.
The team will fly from Chennai to Delhi, and then to Patna.
They will carry basic medicines , T.S. Ravikumar, a team member said. “We are looking to camp there for seven to 10 days and then provide a clear picture to the institution,” he added.
The members stressed that any disaster had two faces – rescue and response. In response, a lot of epidemics are foreseen. This was a crucial period and if not handled well, it could cause further damage.
Dr. Ramesh Karki is part of the team as he hailed from Tansen of Nepal and could help with the language.
Talking about information from his family in Nepal, he said, “Cases of diarrhoea have been reported. We want to address persons with acute injuries, and look into diarrhoea and cholera outbreak, water contamination,” he said.
Immunised
The team members have been immunised against typhoid, malaria and hepatitis. Adequate personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves has been provided. Arrangements have been made to access chlorine tablets to purify water.
While Dr. Bhanu has been trained in disaster management and has been part of a medical team during the 2005-earthquake at Kashmir, Mr. Ravikumar has been part of a team during the tsunami at Sri Lanka.
