Malaysian volunteer doctors help out at field hospital in earthquake stricken Sulawesi
KUALA LUMPUR: Four Malaysian volunteers including three doctors from the Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia Rescue and Relief Team ( Imaret) have been helping with operations at the field hospital in Sigi, Central Sulawesi, treating earthquake victims from earlier this week.
The doctors, including an emergency medical treatment specialist, started their service on Wednesday at the hospital, which is run by the Red Crescent Society of Indonesia ( BSMI).
The team of Malaysian volunteer doctors have also opened up a mobile clinic in the Kabupaten Sigi and Palu areas, and started offering early psychosocial counselling, especially for traumatised children.
Imaret Coordinator, Dr Ahmad Munawwar Helmi said on an average the hospital received more than 100 patients daily and this went up now and then.
Apart from the mobile clinic, the Malaysian volunteer team has been also travelling to offer its psychosocial treatment services to earthquake victims in villages.
One such village is the Sidondo village, about 45 minutes away from the field hospital, Dr Ahmad Munawwar told Bernama when asked on the developments there following the departure of the second team of Imaret volunteers to Sulawesi.
The second team, led by Exco Imaret, Dr Azlan Helmy, who is also the emergency treatment specialist, left to Central Sulawesi on Monday.
An earthquake of 7.5 magnitude on the richter scale hit the regions of Palu and Donggala, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia on September 28, bringing heavy losses of lives and properties to the areas.
The earthquake, which triggered a 6-metre tsunami also further devastated the areas with more than 2,000 people reported dead so far and more than 70,000 homeless. — Bernama photo