West Sumatra: Earthquake victims’ health worsening
NEWS STORY: Rainer Lang UPDATED: October 12, 2009
PADANG / GENEVA — West Sumatra: Earthquake victims’ health worsening
By Rainer Lang, in Padang
A doctor working with survivors of the West Sumatra earthquake say that rather than improving, people’s health is deteriorating. This is the finding of Dr Yan Fernandez who is working in an ACT International mobile medical team supporting victims in the Pariaman district north of Padang. Other ACT members are similarly concerned about the decreasing health status of the victims of the disaster.
Medical teams have just checked health and hygiene conditions in the community of Lembah Pasang. There, a medical assistant in the village offers her support. Bu Arnita wants to revive the destroyed health station as soon as possible by moving it to another building. She serves pregnant women and children first. The village has been without a midwife since the disaster, she says.
Among the 1000 inhabitants only one person died in the earthquake, despite the heavy destruction. A baby could not be saved from a house and died in the rubble. No one was even seriously hurt. However, Bu Arnita is concerned because the health of people is worsening. Many people have to sleep in the open. Consequently, they suffer respiratory infections and skin diseases because of the lack of hygiene and being exposed to heavy rain.
Nine plastic sheets for the whole village
Private donors gave just nine plastic sheets to the whole village, community leader Armaini says. They don’t go far not enough, he says. It is clearly impossible for so many people to take shelter under so few sheets. Most people have to live and sleep in the open, sleeping in front of their houses, under trees, and try to build makeshift shelters with materials salvaged from the rubble.
Doctors assessing the situation also check the drinking water quality. It was not good before the earthquake but now it has worsened. The yellow colour in one of the wells has become more intense. But luckily they have a second source of drinking water which seems to still be okay. The doctors are telling people that must not fear stomach problems.
The medical team wants to support the village in keeping healthy by restoring the village’s basic health system and by improving it. But the team is also concerned that in this village, as in many others, the children do not go to school anymore because schools are destroyed or severely damaged. At the moment there is no school in Lembah Pasang. Because of the bad weather it is difficult to have school under a tree. Community leader Armaini hopes to get further support so the children can return to their normal daily routine again as soon as possible.
Rainer Lang is reporting on ACT International member Yakkum Emergency Unit, in West Sumatra.
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ACT International has issued a $2.75 million preliminary appeal to support responses by ACT members Church World Service Indonesia and Yakkum Emergency Unit. This appeal is expected to be re-issued to also include responses by Yayasan Tanggul Bencana di Indonesia, Lutheran World Relief and Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, implementing through local partners, this week.
