The South Asia Earthquake

On 8 October 2005, a 7.6 Richter scale magnitude earthquake strike the South Asia communities out of their morning routine. The earthquake was felt across India, Pakistan and Afghanistan and left an estimated 75,000 dead and more than 3 millions of the region’s population displaced.

Bagh is one of the hardest hit areas by the earthquake. The city suffered from massive infrastructure destruction including the collapse of all health facilities. Located 100 kilometres South East of Muzaffarabad and is an 11 hours long journey from Islamabad. There were an estimated of 15, 000 to 20, 000 deaths in an area that was previously populated by 450, 000 people and injuries were 3 to 4 times the number of estimated deaths.

Our Response

The first MERCY Malaysia mission left Kuala Lumpur on 10 October 2005 and reached Bagh, Pakistan on 12 October 2005 by sending our Emergency Medical Relief and Rapid Assessment Team.

Immediately upon the arrival of our Emergency Medical Relief team, the orthopaedic and trauma specialist immediately performed surgeries in the area where the injury count was an estimated 80, 000 people. The teams worked from a temporary hospital which was set up in Pearl International School. Our teams remained to be the only orthopaedic surgical volunteers to perform orthopaedic surgeries in Bagh for at least the first 10 days.

MERCY Malaysia’s Afghanistan Team from Kandahar joined the MERCY Malaysia’s team in Bagh on 15 October 2006, extending their hands in assisting the Pakistanis to recover from the devastation that shook their lives.

MERCY Malaysia had collaborated with Pattan Development Organisation, a local NGO in Pakistan, in distributing and assembling winterised tents, semi-permanent shelters, winter warmth items and Livelihood Project items to areas of Bagh, Balakot and Kaghan Valley, Pakistan.

Today, MERCY Malaysia is still operating in Bagh and continues to provide vital medical aid to the people. More importantly, our presence remains to play a significant role in providing psychosocial assistance and basic livelihood support to the people of Bagh and Balakot respectively.

As at 16 March 2006, MERCY Malaysia has provided medical services to approximately 15, 000 people of Bagh and its surrounding area.

Ms Yang Wai Wai, MERCY Malaysia’s Headquarter’s staff and Mr Omar Agha, Aghanistan Project Coordinator is heading our projects there as Bagh Project Coordinators.

Core Services of MERCY Malaysia

1. Surgery from a temporary field hospital
2. Obstetric and gynaecology services at Bagh District Hospital
3. Primary Health Care at Mobile clinics
4. Psychosocial Intervention

1. Surgery at PIMA field hospital

Up to February 2006, MERCY Malaysia was still conducting 60 medical procedures on the field daily. On average, our specialists performed 30 surgeries per day. Treatments included wound debridement, amputations, toilette and sutures, fracture-related and numerous follow up on fracture cases.

Dr Baseer, MERCY Malaysia’s specialist doctor performs surgical procedures from PIMA field hospital’s operating theatre. The team also runs a ward where they monitor the post-operation cases. MERCY Malaysia also receives major referral cases from other areas in Bagh.

Number of cases attended daily: During Emergency Relief stage – 50-60 cases
Currently – 20 – 30 cases

2. Obstetric and gynaecology services at Bagh District Hospital Quarters

MERCY Malaysia specialists provides Pre-natal and Post-natal care in support of the Obstetrician and Gynaecological needs in the District Hospital Quarters (DHQ). Our medical specialists are on call 24 hours a day.

Number of reproductive health related cases seen daily: 20
Number of deliveries daily: 2- 3

3. Mobile clinics

MERCY Malaysia began conducting primary health care and vaccination mobile clinics in November 2005, with patients reaching up to 400 patients per day. Previous mobile clinics were conducted at Jaglari, Nomanpuri, Kotera, Reahra, Dhak Barian, Thub & Chearighani Abad, Baggran, Rangla, Chocky, Chauki, Danna, Bisuti, Kharal Maldialan, Baangran, Nakkar and Bani Pesari.

MERCY Malaysia is still conducting mobile clinics to isolated communities living in remote areas. The mobile clinic team holds at least two (2) mobile clinics weekly at each village.

Currently, MERCY Malaysia is assigned by World Health Organisation (WHO) to conduct mobile clinics at these areas in Bhount and Bagh:

Bhout: Kharal Maldialan, Bisuti and Kharal Panyali
Bagh: Nurigala and Bani Minasha

We are now providing primary health care at each mobile clinic which focuses on cough and cold, women check-up, skin diseases, deworming and general paediatric cases.

Average number of patients for each mobile outreach day: 100 - 200 patients
Number of patients could run up to as high as 400 for each mobile clinic day.

4. Psychosocial Intervention

When disasters occur, MERCY Malaysia recognises there is a need for survivors to talk and to emotionally heal. Here, we try to provide psychosocial support whether through counselling, expressing emotions and art therapy sessions to the affected communities.

In November, MERCY Malaysia organises art therapy sessions for children where we used crayons, colour pencil and blank paper as a way for children to express their emotions.

Mental Health Unit Workshop

MERCY Malaysia is currently providing Mental Health Unit Workshop for religious leaders, social and women health workers, teachers and DHQ staff. This workshop aimed to provide training for psychosocial support to the local community, which include awareness training and supportive skills to PIMA staff and clinical psychiatry services.

To complement the workshop, MERCY Malaysia is also embarking on World Health Organisation (WHO) approved Psychosocial Support to School Children After the Disaster Programme, to which MERCY Malaysia and our collaborative partner,- Mental Health Relief Unit Bagh from Department of Psychiatry, Military Hospital Rawalpindi focus on conducting awareness training to school teachers to provide mental health support to their students.

‘Operation Winter Race’

In addition to MERCY Malaysia’s medical relief to the people of Bagh, we have also embarked on providing winterised tents, semi-permanent shelters, ‘winter warmth’ items, sewing machines and handicraft kits for the Livelihood Project in Bagh, Balakot and Kaghan Valley. It was a collaborative effort with our local partner, Pattan Development Organisation whom identified and facilitated the distribution of items to villages.

MERCY Malaysia together with volunteers under the Petronas Volunteer Opportunity Programme (PVOP), we distributed 400 winterised tents and 750 blankets worth USD$ 100 000 (RM 376, 695) to villages around Bagh district; Gongkra, Chatrarora, Sudan Ghali, Neelabutt, Dhak, Chinot and Kiat.

Prior to this, 452 blankets and quilts were distributed at Maldra, Seri Piran, Nindrai and Didiya in Bagh.

In Balakot, 250 semi-permanent shelters, ‘winter warmth’ items and Livelihood project items worth USD$55, 000 (RM 209, 000) were distributed from 16 December 2005 until 20 February 2006 with the assistance of Pattan Development Organisation and MERCY Malaysia’s volunteers.

List of items and locations of distribution

Semi-Permanent Warehouse for DHQ

Construction work has just started on MERCY Malaysia’s semi-permanent warehouse to safely store valuable medicines for the DHQ. The warehouse is scheduled to be completed within six (6) months.

Currently, MERCY Malaysia is looking into providing medical training for Obstetrics and Gynaecology staff at the DHQ and providing Maternal Child Health Centre which is scheduled to commence in mid-march.

Mission volunteers’ deployment

As at 16 March 2006, MERCY Malaysia has deployed a total of 118 volunteers and staff to Pakistan; consisting of 77 medical and 41 non-medical volunteers since 10 October 2005.

Two (2) medical volunteers were deployed to Bagh on 8 March 2006 to assist DHQ staff and provide medical support to the assigned mobile clinics at Bhount and Bagh. Another three (3) mission members representing MERCY Malaysia is expected to join the team in Bagh on 22 March 2006.