The April 25th earthquake and subsequent aftershocks that struck Nepal have resulted in 7,365 deaths and left approximately 14,300 people with injuries. More than fifty percent of the country’s 79 districts are affected. Gorkha and Sindhupalchok districts each report that only ten percent of buildings are undamaged (LCT 02/05/2015). The district hospitals in Bidur, Chautara, Dhunche and Ramechhap are damaged and need long-term support (WHO 03/05/2015).
Medical resource needs:
- With hospitals operating beyond capacity, medical tents are required in all affected areas (WHO 03/05/2015).
- Medical professionals also note a limited availability of rehabilitation services, the need for psychosocial support, long waits for surgeries, and an acute need for surgical equipment and supplies (WHO 03/05/2015).
- Moreover, there are reports from Gorkha and Sindhuli districts of influenza and diarrheal cases (OCHA 02/05/2015).
Direct Relief’s response:
Approximately 50 tons of requested medical materials departed Direct Relief’s warehouse today for Nepal. Thanks to a donation by FedEx of a charter flight, the supplies will ship on Friday to help replenish the country’s depleted medical inventories.
The shipment includes:
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- Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP)= 55 pallets
- 50 pallets of IV solutions
- 5 pallets of medications (antibiotics, pain relief) and supplies (gloves, IV tubing)
- 5 Hospital Modules = 36 pallets
- Dhulikhel Hospital = 10 pallets
- Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled Children = 7 pallets
- Katmandu Model Hospital = 6 pallets
- Himalayan Healthcare = 5 pallets
- Nepal Orthopedic Hospital = 8 pallets
- One Heart World Wide = 15 pallets
- 10 pallets of medical tents, to be used as birthing centers arrived from Utah today; 5-6 pallets of medications and supplies
- 5 Medical teams will receive a 1-pallet shipment per specific orders. The teams include
- Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP)= 55 pallets
Direct Relief’s cargo with five mechanical ventilators and five portable X-ray machines is arriving this week.
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- After a series of meetings and conference calls involving the Direct Relief team in Nepal, the MoHP and various hospitals in Nepal, and distributors and vendors in India and Kathmandu, a final list of critically needed items was agreed upon by all parties for Direct Relief to purchase in India and deliver to Nepal.
- The total cost will be $260K for the urgently requested items, which are broken out in general categories in the table below. Roughly one half of the expense ($143K) is for 5 Siemens Digital x-ray units and 5 Drager ventilators (unit brochures attached); with the remainder for orthopedic supplies and an extensive list of medications and consumables.
Item |
Unit Cost |
USD total |
| Medicine & Consumables Cost | $68,244 | $68,244 |
| Digital X-ray Siemens (5 set) | $13,887 x 5 | $69,435 |
| Ventilator Drager (5 set) | $14,818 x 5 | $74,093 |
| Orthopedic Supplies | $48,387 | $48,387 |
| TOTAL | $260,159 |
Funding:
A conservative number for planning purposes has increased to $1.85 million for Nepal.