Airlift of Specifically Requested Emergency Medical Materials Set for China

Direct Relief International is preparing its first airlift of specifically requested medical aid to China in response to May's 8.0-magnitude earthquake.

This initial shipment of support will be received by the National Population and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC) and will include basic, critical supplies including surgical instruments, sterile gloves, masks, sterilizing tape, sterilizers, and topical antibiotic ointments. Direct Relief's Emergency Response Coordinator Brett Williams expects the materials will leave from Los Angeles International Airport early next week.

Since the earthquake shook China on May 12, the NPFPC has been providing primary care, trauma support, and psychological counseling to children and families who were impacted by the massive physical and human devastation. NPFPC’s network of facilities reaches throughout China, including the Sichuan province.

Because Direct Relief is committed to providing useful and appropriate medical aid, all prescription and nonprescription medicines provided will have labels and instructions in Chinese.

Direct Relief also plans to support the Sichuan University Hospital, which is dispatching teams of volunteer doctors to the hardest hit areas, and the Mianzhu County division of the Ministry of Health. The Mianzhu area was particularly impacted by the quake; Direct Relief program staff member John Schurrer estimated as many as 11,000 of the 80,000 total deaths in China occurred there.

Schurrer, who is fluent in Mandarin, and Williams traveled in Sichuan last week to assess the needs of the affected communities and investigate ways to support the work of responding partners. On May 28, Direct Relief staff also gave a lecture to students at Sichuan University about the humanitarian response to both the China quake and Myanmar cyclone.

In addition to addressing short-term basic medical needs, Direct Relief is arranging partnerships to assist with long-term care for people who suffered spinal cord injuries, amputations, and other blunt-trauma injuries common during earthquakes. Based on Direct Relief’s response to past earthquakes, including the 2005 Pakistan quake, the long-term need for rehabilitative services, including prosthetic and orthotic devices, is anticipated to be significant.

Direct Relief International Asked to Assist in China Quake Recovery

After assessing quake-damaged cities in Sichuan Province and meeting with top-level medical officers and government officials, Direct Relief staff members have been asked to address specific needs to help support relief efforts after the 8.0-magnitude earthquake.

With a reported 361,822 injured and an estimated 15 million relocated (UN OCHA), basic primary care will be crucial for this vulnerable population. Direct Relief is organizing assistance to help meet the immediate need for basic health care and to assist with the anticipated significant long-term need for prosthetic and orthotic care.

Large numbers of displaced people now living in tents or temporary shelter are at increased risk for a variety of health problems, including upper respiratory infections and skin problems.

Chinese health authorities submitted detailed requests to Direct Relief staff members Brett Williams, Direct Relief’s Emergency Response Coordinator, and John Schurrer, who have been conducting assessments in the quake-stricken region.  Schurrer, who is fluent in Mandarin, lived in Chengdu while serving as a Peace Corps volunteer.

The two staff members have received a gracious welcome from top medical officers and government officials, from the Chinese Red Cross and Sichuan University Hospital, among others. “We have been warmly received by these groups and have been very impressed with their work under such enormous pressure,” Williams said, reporting by phone from Nainzhu.

According to Williams, only four of the 40 hospitals in the earthquake-stricken region are operational. Fifteen of those hospitals have been damaged beyond repair.

Based on Direct Relief’s experience with the 2005 Pakistan earthquake and other past seismic events, the long-term need for rehabilitative services, including prosthetic and orthotic devices, are anticipated to be significant.  In addition to addressing short-term basic medical needs, Direct Relief is arranging partnerships to assist with long-term care for people who experienced spinal cord injuries, amputations, and other blunt-trauma injuries common during earthquakes.

Direct Relief Identifying Partners For Medical Aid Support 

Since the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that struck China seven days ago, Direct Relief International has been hard at work to identify and support medical professionals in the affected areas of the country who need medical material and cash support in order to treat the estimated 245,000 people injured in the incident.

Worldwide strategic partner Marie Stopes International, who operates five clinics in China, is assisting in the relief process by connecting Direct Relief with major local and national partners who are in need of additional medical supplies. These partners provide a variety of medical services largely focused on maternal and child health. Due to the overwhelming number of injured people, these specialized health centers have turned into triage areas and are providing the most basic primary care services.

Direct Relief staff has also been in contact with the Chinese vice consul in Los Angeles to discuss the exact needs for medical supplies at a local level and to identify groups that may need support.

Along with coordinating with local partner organizations on immediate needs, we have also begun consulting with rehabilitation medicine experts. The injuries that arise from blunt trauma common during earthquakes, including amputations and spinal cord injuries, require long-term care.

In the aftermath of the October 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, for instance, thousands of emergency amputations were performed to save the lives of those caught underneath debris. Though nearly three years have passed since that earthquake, Direct Relief continues to support orthopedic and prosthetic specialists in the country, including the Pakistan Institute of Prosthetic and Orthotic Sciences.