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Sunday, 07 October 2007 |
MERCY Malaysia dispatched its Rapid Assessment and Emergency Response Team on 27th December 2004, arriving in Aceh on an Indonesian military aircraft from Medan and stationed themselves at the Kesdam Military Hospital in Banda Aceh – the only functioning hospital.
Immediate support teams were called for and a total of 11 doctors, a senior nurse and two logisticians were sent to Aceh within the first week of tsunami.
Between 27 December 2004 until February 2005, more than 5,000 survivors were treated by our medical teams at KESDAM Hospital and through mobile services. In the first 48 hours, survivors with multiple injuries and near drowning conditions were treated. After 48 hours, several infections including pneumonitis, multiple infections, tetanus and gastroenteritis were managed. Our teams tended to an average of 250 patients a day in the first week.
Our volunteer medical teams conducted life saving procedures at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at KESDAM Hospital. The team was instrumental in restoring the ICU, and this led to a substantial reduction in mortality and morbidity. Together with international and Indonesian surgical teams, MERCY Malaysia lead the coordination of the hospital's ICU and surgical services.
MERCY Malaysia also mobilised teams to various places including Babun Najah Orphanage, Darul Dzahiddin, Lambaro Seubun and Lokhnga and provided primary health care services through our mobile clinics.
MERCY Malaysia also provided Typhoid and Tetanus vaccinations to approximately 3,000 people.
Relocation Programme in Seubun Ayun
MERCY Malaysia built 88 units of relocation houses in Seubun Ayun, Aceh Besar. The community relocation project was built complete with a PUSKESLIT (satellite health centre) and a small community centre.
Psychosocial Health Support
MERCY Malaysia provided trauma counselling and mental health support to the tsunami survivors who were greatly traumatised by the disaster. Our team of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and counsellors conducted tent visits for individuals or group counselling sessions, art therapy as well as carried out activities for women and children.
Distribution of non-medical relief items
MERCY Malaysia distributed body bags in Bandar Aceh and LokhNga and donated 10 wheelchairs to the KESDAM Hospital. During Aidil Adha (a religious ceremony for the Muslims), MERCY Malaysia distributed meat to 13,000 people in Banda Aceh, Meulaboh and Aceh Besar.
Medical Aid: Primary Health and Psychosocial Health Support
After the emergency phase, MERCY Malaysia continued its medical aid by providing Anaesthetic and Opthamology specialist care and support at the Rumah Sakit Umum (RSU) Zainal Abidin. We also actively provided medical mobile services to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) at their camps and various orphanages.
MERCY malaysia continued with Mental Health Support programmes at various locations such as at MERCY malaysia's IDP camps, other Non-governmental Organisations' camps and at the Rumah Sakit Jiwa Aceh. the programmes organised included Counselling and Community Intervention, as well as drawing and story telling activities. Among the cases identified during this programme were Post Traumatic Stress symptoms with anxiety, depression unresolved grief and major depression.
 Setting-ip and Management of a Camp for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
About half a million individuals in Aceh were left homeless following the tsunami. In February 2005, MERCY Malaysia began to set up a camp for the IDPs at Kampung Weu Raya in LokhNga for 600 survivors. We deployed our volunteer architects, technicians and engineers to provide infrastructure for the camps such as proper water and sanitation facilities, roads and a proper garbafe disposal system. Electricity was supplied through generators.
MERCY Malaysia set up 247 tents at Kampung Weu Raya.
MERCY Malaysia also set up a Children's Play Centre and a Women's Activity Centre at the camp. This gave the opportunity for children and women at the camp to participate in activities which supported their emotional and psychosocial recovery. Among the thing provided at the Women's Activity Centre were 12 sewing machines, an oven, five blenders, fabrics as well as baking tools.
Distribution of Relief Items
Together with our numerous generous donors, partners and volunteers, we distributed relief items long after the emergency phase was over. Items distributed included food and water, hygiene packs for children and women and religious items to the IDPs at our camps as well as at the Babun Najah and Daruzzahidin Orphanages.
Rehabilitiation of Orthotic-Prosthetic Unit, provision for equipment and training for ortho-prosthetic technicians
The orthotic-prosthetic unit at RSU Zainal Abidin was completely destroyed and the only staff member who survived the tsunami died shorly after.
MERCY Malaysia rehabilitated and re-equipped the orthotic-prosthetic unit. While completing the rehabilitation of the orthotic-prosthetic unit, MERCY Malaysia facilitated a training programme for staff identified to operate the unit.
Two Acehnese physiotherapists were flown to Malaysia and received training at the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan. USM, a partner of MERCY Malaysia is reknowned for its award winning ortho-prosthetic technology. Through this partnership, the Acehnese were trained intensively over two months.
Specialist care at Zainal Abidin General Hospital (RSU Zainal Abidin)
Medical volunteers from MERCY Malaysia specialising in the areas of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, surgery, paediatrics, anaesthesia and ophthalmology were deployed to RSU Zainal Abidin for two-weekly missions to build capacity and treat patients.
Re-tenting Programme with UNHCR
In September 2005, many communities were still living in tents and aprogramme was initiated to provide new tents to the communities.
Together with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), MERCY Malaysia distributed 1,002 tents to the IDP camps aroung Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar. These much needed tents were provided by UNHCR while MERCY Malaysia assisted in identifying the communities and distributing the tents.
 Housing Project - Kampung Weu Raya
MERCY Malaysia undertook a project to rebuild houses for the community in our IDP camp at Kampung Weu Raya, Aceh Besar.
We flew in teams of architects, land surveyors, quantity surveyors and engineers to undertake the task of mapping out the land owned by each IDP/family of Kampung Weu Raya. Following many discussions, the prople of Weu Raya made the decision to return to their original land and MERCY Malaysia supported the rebuilding of their houses. Once the land was mapped out, the people of Weu Raya secured approvals from the local government to rebuild their homes. MERCY Malaysia's teams worked together with the communities to develop a design and spatial planning for the houses and the entire site. This process involved fill community participation. Once the design and the spatial planning were agreed upon, each house owner signer off their agreement to accept the houses and rebuilding began.
This process was completed in March 2005 and the rebuilding of houses was completed by September 2005. The objective was to ensure that the people moved to a house as soon as possible and preferable before the fasting month of Ramadhan.
The houses, which was based on a core house concept was built, where owners would be able to easily expand the houses according to their future needs.
231 core houses were build using seismic resistant technology for the people of Kampung Weu Raya.
Rebuilding & Rehabilitation of Health Centres
MERCY Malaysia undertook to revuild two health centres in Meuraxa, Banda Aceh and Pangar, Aceh Besar.
At Meuraxa, MERCY Malaysia undertook the construction of three single storey buildings consisting of doctor's office, emergency room, registration area, administration area, pharmacy, meeting room, general polyclinic, dental polyclinic, obstetric & gynaecology polyclinic, medical store, waiting area, toilet facilities and three units of staff housing.
Meanwhile at Pangar, MERCY Malaysia undertook the construction of single storey health centre complete with wards for men, women and children comprising of two dontor's offices, nurse's room, emergency room, administration and registration area, pharmacy, meeting room, general polyclinic, dental polyclinic, obstetric & gynaecology polyclinic, three wards (men, women and children), minor surgery room, medical store, laboratory, kitchen, waiting area and toilet facilities.
Construction of Academic Facilities for Medical Education
- New Nursing Academy including hostel at Universitas Syiah Kuala *UNSYIAH), Banda Aceh.
- MERCY Malaysia rehabilitated a nursing college for the Department of Health (known as Departmen Kesihatan - DEPKES), which included the construction of a two storey building comprising of two classrooms, a language laboratory, a computer laboratory and corridor and walkway.
- MERCY Malaysia also rehabilitated a Pharmacy College which included the construction of two storey building consisting of multi purpose hall with stage facilities and store, pharmacy laboratory and store, physics laboratory and store, computer laboratory and store, library, lecturers' rooms, administration office, head of academy's office and toilet facility, meeting room, dix units of toilet facilities and lobby corridor, walkway, step and staircase
 Non-Medical Construction
- Building of an orphanage centre - Sukamakmur Orphanage. MERCY Malaysia built an orphanage at Desa Lambaro Sibreh, Sukamakmur in Aceh Besar. The project included the construction of two-storey building consisting of seven classrooms, eight hostel rooms, dining hall and kitchen, multi purpose hall, office/meeting room, principle's office, musolla, four units of toilet facilities and corridor, walkway and staircases.
- MERCY Malaysia undertook a project equipping orphanage centres with a resource centre/library at Sukamakmur, Kayee Kunyit, Babun Najah and Daruzzahiding Orphanages.
- Building additional academic blocks - Daruzzahidin and Babun Najah.
- Daruzzahidin - MERCY Malaysia constructed a two-storey building on top of the existing single storey building to include four classrooms, library, hall and corridor, step and staircase.
- Babun Najah - MERCY Malaysia also constructed a two-storey academic building which included six hostel rooms, four units of toilet facilities and corridor, step and staircase.
- MERCY Malaysia undertook the building of Sekolah Menengah Atas 1 in LokhNga which included the construction of two storey building consisting of 10 classrooms, two laboratories, teachers' room, office and administration, library, canteen, musolla, two units of students' toilets, two units of staff's toilets and entrance lobby, corridor, walkway and staircases.
- MERCY Malaysia also donated a total of seven ambulances. Two ambulances were donated to Aceh and five ambulances were donated to Nias.
In 2006, MERCY Malaysia successfully completed several construction projects in Aceh that we had started the previous year. This included two community health centres or Pusat Kesihatan Masyarakat (PUSKESMAS): PUSKESMAS Meuraxa and PUSKESMAS PANGA; as well as two orphanages - Sukamakmur and Kayee Kunyit - that each comprised a hostel and academic block. Additionally, with the increase in number of orphans as a result of the Tsunami, MERCY Malaysia assisted two orphanages through the rebuilding of new academic blocks at the Daruzzahidin and Babun Najah Orphanage Centres.
Rehabilitation of a nursing college, Akademi Perawatan (AKPER) Depkes and construction of a nursing academy block at the Universitas Syiah Kuala Banda Acheh (UNSYIAH) was also completed in 2006. The construction of the nursing academy was made possible through a contribution from Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS).
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