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PH: The WHO has been saying that the death toll from illness and infection may exceed that of the tsunami, is that the sense that the groups in the region are getting?
Ty: More than 1 million people have already been displaced and those lives are being severely affected. I don’t know if you can predict the number of people that can suffer from outbreaks of infection. So far, I haven’t heard of any reports of epidemics, but that may not be accurate. The goal is to prevent those outbreaks before they start.
PH: Doctors without Borders has actually said on their website that they don’t need any more aid towards the tsunami relief fund and have encouraged the public to now donate to the general emergency relief fund. Do you think that’s the general position of other medically related aid groups?
Ty: Maybe they’re saturated with physicians. The International Medical Health Organization still has several slots that are open. We are definitely not overwhelmed with healthcare professionals – we still need more. Our goal is to try to provide continuous healthcare for the region, not just for these few months. I anticipate that when the hype dies down, there will still be a major need there.
PH: What are the major kinds of medical supplies you’ll be distributing?
We have pediatric antibiotics, adult antibiotics, respiratory medications, and more. We’re taking IV fluids, IV sets to give the IV fluids, a lot of bandages, and many primary care materials - things you can use to breathe wounds and do basic sutures. We’re not going to be doing many major surgeries. We’ll just be treating illnesses that you can diagnose in the clinic with stethoscopes and physical exams - infectious diseases, pulmonary problems, and minor orthopedic problems.
PH: How is your group planning on dealing with the mental health issues, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder?
Ty: We don’t have any psychiatrists with our group currently, but there are many people already there that are working on that. In fact, my cousin is working with an orphanage, at a town near St. John’s that has a psychiatrist over to work there for a month, just talking to kids. There’s no organized effort yet, but there are individuals doing it. A couple of people have gone to counsel schools and orphanages. There were a lot of orphanages that were hit…
PH: What kind of base do you have to operate? Is there a major headquarters or portable clinics?
Ty: There has been a headquarters established in Colombo, addressing the needs of the villages. As the teams rotate through the region every two weeks, people on the ground communicate the anticipated needs to the incoming team so the next teams come through and send people with the appropriate resources in that direction. Initially it was a little chaotic but now it’s fairly organized.
PH: Many aid organizations have been discouraging donations of food or clothing, saying that money is preferred. Does your organization have the same recommendations?
Ty: Right now, money is the most effective donation. With the money, you can buy antibiotics locally in the area, which is much cheaper. Money is the best thing to send over right now, as it can supply any need that arises at the time – you can buy clothes and food in bulk from the area. There are programs here that are collecting other useful things. For example, we’re collecting medications that the hospital is throwing away since some expired medications are still usable, but you can’t use them in the United States because of FDA regulations.
PH: Thanks again for being with us, and good luck on your trip tomorrow! Is there anything else that you’d like to add?
Ty: Thank you! I just wanted to reiterate that this is not a political issue, and that everyone should help.
Lekshmi Santhosh is a sophomore in Silliman College and Executive Editor of PH.
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