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MERCY Malaysia at Philippines |
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Wednesday, 31 October 2007 |
 When
Typhoon Winnie and Tropical Storms Yoyong razed through the eastern
coasts of Luzon, they destroyed everything in thier path and caused
major landslides that buried houses, destroyed infrastructure and left
agriculture crops in muds as thick as 16 metres. Relief efforts were
made doubly difficult as rescue attempts were hampered by broken
bridges and collapsed roads. On 13th December 2004, the Philippines
government reported the death toll to be 1,060, injuries as high as
1,023 and 559 people missing. They issued a plea for international aid.
The
MERCY Malaysia Emergency Response Team arrived in Manila on 13th
December 2004 and were met by a local NGO, Kapwa Ko Mahal Ko, who acted
as our local partner in Philippines. The Philippines National Disaster
Coordinating Centre assigned our team to Infanta, located in one of the
areas worst hit by this disaster. MERCY Malaysia also received the
assistance of the Philippines Civil Defense, which airlifted our
mission members to Infanta.:
Emergency Medical Response
 Among
the services provided included supporting local doctors in emergency
treatments, outpatient treatment, deworming activities, conducting
medical and consultations for medical officers, home visits and
performing minor procedures. Our doctors were also instrumental to
identifying cases for psychological intervention.
Our volunteer doctors treated an average of 250 patients a day.
Mental Health Support
 
Formal psychosocial services were initiated by the MERCY Malaysia team,
which include psychosocial debriefings, group therapies, as well as
individual consultations arising from referals. Activities included
story-telling, singing, drawing, games and ballooning. Participants
were encouraged to express and share their thoughts and emotions
on their experiences. Majority of the children were fearful while the
adults were depressed and felt hopeless.
Our
facilitators empathised and promoted normalcy through messages of hope
and mobilisation of resources. Relaxation exercises such as abdominal
breathing and progressive muscular relaxation were also introduced.
These sessions created quite a following with the locals as parents
started joining their children's sessions as well.
It was
Christmas season and our team organised a Christmas party as part of
our Mental Health Support programme. All participants from the
psychotherapy sessions were invited. Our team dresses for the occasion
and were out in the hospitals and the streets carolling and played
games and organised a Christmas party. The mission team also sang
Christmas Carols to patients in wards.
Rehabilitation of the Emergency Room for the Claro M. Recto Memorial Hospital
 The
hospital was submerged in water of up to 10 feet high, and the ground
floor was buried in mud as high as 3 feet. This completely destroyed
the emergency room, outpatient clinics, delivery room, pharmacy and
laboratories, together with their equipment. MERCY Malaysia undertook
the task of refurbishing the Emergency Room with medical equipment to
emable them to operate the emergency care within the hospital.
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