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Our clinic in Pakistan opens doors to flood victims

August 2, 2010 in Disaster Relief, Pakistan, Providing Medical Support, Rebuilding Communities by Jonathan White | Comments closed

Our Primary Health Care Clinic in Talhatta, north western Pakistan, has opened it’s doors to the many flood victims from the surrounding area and villages. Initial reports from our stafff are that our clinic premises are unaffected but there are many villages nearby that need help. It is fortunate we have such a well functioning clinic in one of the areas hardest hit by these recent floods.

The only other health facilities, the Balakot District Headquarters Hospital and another facility (already strained and ineffective facilities) have been severely damaged by the flooding, leaving RMF’s Talhatta clinic as the only fully functioning health facility in Balakot Valley, an area with a population of 120,000 people. Local government officials have asked RMF to be ready to accommodate the influx of patients they’re expecting. RMF held 4 outreach health camps for flood victims in the same area in 2008 and is gearing up to provide similar assistance again.

According the International Red Cross, two and a half million people have been affected by the devastating floods in north-west Pakistan with at least 1,100 people dead and thousands have lost everything.

“In the worst-affected areas, entire villages were washed away without warning by walls of flood water,” the Red Cross said in a statement. (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10834414)

With the strong local support and network we have built in this region over the past two years, we are thankful that the Real Medicine team is ready and able to respond to this latest situation. We will update with further news as it comes in from our staff in the field. Caitlin McQuilling, RMF’s Director of Programs for Pakistan/India, was just recently visiting our clinic in Talhatta a couple of weeks ago. See Caitlin’s blog entry about our clinic here: http://www.realmedicineblog.com/2010/07/11/8693/

As always we can use any additional support you can provide to ensure that our clinic is able to handle this huge increase in patient demand.

For more information about the clinic and our initiative in north western Pakistan, visit: RMF Talhatta Clinic Initiative

If you’d like to donate to this or any of Real Medicine’s causes, you can click the donate button on this page or through our website at realmedicinefoundation.org

Tags: BBC, clinic, Disaster Relief, flood, flood victims pakistan, flooding, healthcare, how to help pakistani flood, medical care, north west pakistan, Pakistan, pakistan aid, pakistan food, pakistan medicine

East Africa BBC Report: Lack of Rain, mass loss of Lives

December 16, 2009 in General by Allison Glennon | Comments closed

From BBC World News: Millions at risk as East Africa rains fail

Aid agency Oxfam warns that a failure of rains across swathes of East Africa is putting millions of lives at risk.

This is the sixth successive season of failed rains in an area already hit by its worst drought in 20 years.

Some 20 million people face starvation in vast areas of Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, the UN has already warned.

Oxfam says November rainfall was less than 5% of normal in much of Turkana in northern Kenya, all of Somaliland and Ethiopia’s Central Highlands.

In Turkana, one of the worst affected areas, nearly one person in three is malnourished.

The crisis is most severe in parts of Somalia, where worsening conflict and the drought have left 3.6 million people – a third of the country’s population – in need of aid.

Audio slideshow: Kenya’s drought

“The rains were many people’s last hope, but they have failed again, said Oxfam’s deputy humanitarian director Jeremy Loveless, who just visited Somaliland.

He said more must be done to help communities cope with the dry years through long-term rural development and investing in national agriculture.

“But in the short-term lives are at stake and emergency aid is needed now,” Mr Loveless said.

The aid group said 1.5 million cattle, goats and sheep – on which many rely – have already died.

The cattle that survive are being sold off at rock bottom prices.

To make matters worse, farmers are leaving the land to search for a living in cities already suffering from high unemployment.

Real Medicine is working in Turkana. Find out more

Join our 2010 LA Marathon team and help raise money to send food and water to Turkana, miles by mile, gallon by gallon: www.changeyourselfchangelives.org

Tags: BBC, BBC World, drought relief, East Africa, emergency aid, Kenya, Oxfam, Turkana

Earthquake kills 75 in Indonesia

September 30, 2009 in Indonesia by Allison Glennon | Comments closed

In Indonesia, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit early this morning near the city of Padang, on the island of Sumatra. At least 75 people are dead and officials say that number is expected to rise with thousands trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings, including at least two hospitals.

This follows another earthquake with an 8.0 magnitude that struck near the South Pacific island nations of Samoa and Tonga and the US territory of American Samoa. The quake triggered a massive tsunami that killed an estimated 100 people, including more than 30 people in American Samoa.