Aceh, Indonesia, 18 September 2006 - MERCY Malaysia yesterday opened the doors of its latest rehabilitation and reconstruction project, a Nursing Academy block at the Universitas Syiah Kuala Banda Aceh (UNSYIAH).

The construction of this nursing academy was made possible through a generous contribution from Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS). The handing over ceremony was officiated by the President and Chief Executive Officer of PETRONAS, Y. Bhg. Tan Sri Dato Sri Mohd Hassan Marican. Present to receive on behalf of UNSYIAH was the Governor of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam’s representative, Bapak Dr. Ruz Munander as well as the Rector of UNSYIAH, Bapak Dr Darni M Daud.

The old block was severely damaged together with its infrastructure and surroundings in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. The disaster killed 211 students and staff of UNSYIAH and 500 nurses overall in Aceh Province. The building of UNSYIAH’s Nursing Academy is part of MERCY Malaysia’s rehabilitation and capacity building program. A total of 625 students are enrolled in the four year program which will help fulfill the need and shortage of nurses in the province.

The architectural design of the new nursing academy not only incorporates seismic resistant elements throughout the facility, but also includes a designated assembly area for students as well as a ‘Disaster Management Zone’. This will lead its occupants to the nearest and safest exit route in the event of earthquakes and other disasters. As a final touch, deletation joints have been put in place as separation elements between building blocks, thus allowing tolerance for building movement. If another major earthquake strikes, the risk of all the blocks tumbling down together will be reduced.

“The reconstruction of UNSYIAH with its seismic resistant design is part of MERCY Malaysia’s mission to educate and implement Total Disaster Risk Management (TDRM) throughout the projects that we are involved in,” said Datuk Dr. Jemilah Mahmood, President of MERCY Malaysia. “With this orderly structure, the last two phases of TDRM are fulfilled in terms of disaster risk mitigation as well as disaster preparedness.”

TDRM includes four phases - Emergency Response (Relief & Recovery), Reconstruction & Rehabilitation, Prevention & Mitigation, and Preparedness.

“MERCY Malaysia is consciously focusing on ensuring that disaster affected communities become more resilient. This building is not only strong but will help to produce more nursing professionals for the province” said Dr. Jemilah. “The need to help, respond, rehabilitate and reconstruct as well as to prevent disasters through education is pivotal to the safety of vulnerable communities”.

The nursing academy in UNSYIAH is MERCY Malaysia’s 13th project focusing on rehabilitation and reconstruction in Aceh since the 2004 tsunami.

MERCY Malaysia is a non-profit organization focusing on providing medical relief and sustainable health-related development for vulnerable communities.