QRC's health care unit receives 308 patients in Nepal

It has been 48 hours since Qatar Red Crescent has deployed its Health Care Unit (HCU) in Trishuli, Nuwakot, Nepal. Since then, the HCU has provided medical attention to more than 308 local patients with hopes of treating more than 7000 during the upcoming three months.

In a swift response to the earthquake that hit Nepal and claimed the lives of more than 7650, the Qatar Red Crescent formed an operation room for collecting information on the situation to define emergency needs.

Based on the recommendations and outcomes of continuous meetings at QRC’s Disaster Information and Management Center, a decision was made to dispatch an HCU on board one of Qatar’s four relief flights that reached Katmandu just two days following the quake.

Upon reaching Kathmandu, QRC assessment team explored many locations in order to decide the best site for the HCU. It was required that the location provides medical services and support to the largest number possible of the affected population.

In collaboration with the World Health Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, QRC deployed the HCU at Trishuli, Nuwakot District. It took two days of hard work to assemble the unit which started its actual services immediately on the 4th of May.

During the first two days, the HCU received 308 patients. On the initial day it received 212 cases including earthquake injuries, and patients of pneumonia, eye infection, chronic ailments such as hypertension and diabetes, as well as obstetrics and gynecology cases.

The HCU is operated by three physicians, six nurses and a pharmacist. The medical staff is also assisted by a number of local volunteers of medical background who are currently receiving field training by QRC medical staff.

This voluntary collaboration is meant to maximize the capabilities of the HCU and build trust with local communities since those volunteers are from the region and have knowledge of local culture.

The HCU is constituted of tents, medical and non-medical equipment. It is a self-sufficient healthcare facility and can provide a full range of medical services to more than 7000 individuals from 30 to 100 days without resorting to any external supplies. It’s also equipped with 30-40 beds.

The healthcare facility has multiple outpatient clinics walk-in, general, urology and gastroenterology. It also includes emergency section, an operating theater, orthopedic surgery room, an emergency laboratory as well as a 40 bed temporary ward for patients.

The HCU has also a pre-equipped pharmacy with a large stock of medicines for chronic diseases, pediatrics, gynecology and general cases. QRC teams are also conducting health awareness sessions on infectious diseases and Therapeutic feeding.

The QRC medical mission has been extended to three months in order to provide as much help as it can to the affected population in Trishuli and its surroundings in light of the partial collapse of the local hospital and scarcity of medical services.

The Qatar Red Crescent has also invited a team of medical personnel from the Singapore Red Cross to work on QRC’s HCU in order to achieve the maximum operational benefit from the unit and bolster coordination between the two agencies.

With much of surprise and hope, the 101-year-old Funchu Tamang who survived a whole week under the rubble, was one of the several Nepalese to receive medical attention by QRC’s medical staff. Funchu is still recovering from pneumonia and now homeless as his family and thousands of Nepalese who need our help.