Nepal Earthquake HEP Update
Post date: Apr 27, 2015 7:20:59 PM
Respiratory Therapists Without Borders (RTWB) works exclusively through local Healthcare Education Partners (HEPs) to improve respiratory health through educational advancement of local healthcare providers worldwide. Seven of ten RTWB HEPs are in Nepal. Within 12 hours of the earthquake, RTWB reached out to each of the 7 HEPs.
Current Situation
1. Bayalpata Hospital: operational
2. CIWEC Hospital (<100k from epicentre): operational
3. Himalayan Rescue Association - Pheriche: Staff ok. All of Pheriche is 'in ruins'. 73 heli-evacs in 5hrs - secondary source
4. International Friendship Children's Hospital (<100k from epicentre): operational
5. Lamjung District Community Hospital (15k from earthquake epicentre): operational
6. Patan Academy of Health Sciences (<100k from epicentre): operational
7. United Mission Hospital (<200k from epicentre): operational
HEPs in affected areas and high residential density are seeing a dramatic spike in patients. Hospitals in Kathmandu are in emergency state with field hospitals up and running within 24hrs. Staff have been working around the clock and are exhausted but still persevering. Disaster relief teams are arriving. All sites in affected areas are expecting a swell of patients as roads start to open up.
RTWB Position Statement
RTWB is a charity established with a purpose to advance education to address sustainable developments. As such, we are not involved in disaster relief. In the interim, we are gearing up to play an active role when disaster relief mode is complete.
How can I help now?
We encourage interested volunteers to donate to local relief efforts already on the ground. Interesting article
How can I help through RTWB?
Join the Professional Network and review Needs Assessments on the "Get Deployed" tab. These education gaps will still remain once the proverbial dust settles. We are still on track to deploy teams once teams are available and HEPs are no longer in disaster relief mode.
Perspective - a personal note
Nepal is a resilient country. The people here are no strangers to life without electricity, water and basic infrastructure. During my last visit in 2013, BatiGayo proved to be a new and popular loadshedding app used daily by Kathmandu urbanites to plan their daily activities. The World Bank estimates that only 17% of Nepalis lived in urban centres. (Managing Nepal's Urban Transition) Most news will come from these connected places. The lion's share of Nepalis live in rural off grid areas where many have never seen a motorized vehicle and news is not reported. There was one hospital we visited where patients were reported to have travelled up to 9 days on local "road" by makeshift stretchers. (Road can mean anything from packed gravel to a rugged hiking trail by Canadian standards.) Time is of the essence with the monsoon season approaching to re-establish shelters and safe water sources especially in the rural areas.
My heart is bleeding. While I've heard from many expatriate and local friends in Kathmandu and other major centres, there are still many in the rural areas I have yet to hear from. A friend went to Melamchi, a village east of Kathmandu and reported 90% of homes destroyed and ~3% of the population died. The road was blocked due to a landslide. These are the places that will need aid. So far, I have a friend who has lost a 4year old niece.
This is a sober reminder of how unselecting death can be and the need to make the most of each breath of life. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that coming together we will be able to begin to heal and grow from this tragic event still unfolding.
To friends who are like family in Nepal, we are praying for you all. There is a community at Respiratory Therapists Without Borders thinking of you.
Peace,
Eric Cheng
Co-Founder & Culture Creator
Respiratory Therapists Without Borders
