Berita dari dokter kita di sana

berita ini dari mbak Prita.
Raffles Medical Group adalah mitra Al Izhar Cinta Aceh.


THE ASIAN TSUNAMI DISASTER

doing our part to help the victims

Dear Friends,

As you are aware, the Medical Foundation, in collaboration with the Raffles
Medical Group, has, thus far, sent two batches of emergency medical supplies
and medications to Aceh and Sri Lanka via the Indonesia Embassy and Sri
Lanka High Commission in Singapore.

We have been in constant contact with many parties, including local and
foreign government agencies, volunteer groups, and people who have already
moved into the tsunami-hit areas when formulating our relief assistance.
Among others, we have been speaking with our MFA Advance Consular Team in
Medan and the SAF detachment in Aceh to obtain first-hand updates on
developments in Aceh. As feared, many described the health condition of the
survivors as dire.

A medical team, comprised of Dr Andre Leong, Dr Kwan Yew Seng, Ms Dezima
Abas and Mr Daniel Azri, has set off for Aceh via Medan on 2 Jan 05,
bringing along more medications (some 200 plus kilograms) that are
desperately needed in the affected areas. We are also making arrangements to
send more medical supplies and medications to our medical team, should the
need arise.

It is going to be difficult to establish direct and frequent communication
with our team in Aceh, but they will endeavour to update us regularly. Here
are the two "SMSes" that Dr Andre Leong sent us on Sunday:

10.55 am: Arrived in Medan. Established contact with friends from
Indonesia who are helping in the relief efforts. Next flight confirmed.
All safe and sound. Other missions here too.

1.54 pm: First challenge - bags almost didn't go in, overweight. Flight
to Aceh delayed 4 hours. Now cleared. Flying off soon. Mass confusion.
MP Dr Ong Seh Hong also here with Renci team.

We also received a phone call from Dr Leong last evening. He said,

"We arrived in Banda Aceh airbase to utter confusion. On the way, we saw
scenes of total destruction on the ground. Seems worse than what we saw on
TV. Almost lost bags because people are taking whatever bags in sight. We
have moved to a field location about 1 km from the airbase. Putrid smell of
death all around. The team is deployed with Indonesian military doctors.
Unlike other foreign medical teams that are treating mainly misplaced people
with various medical problems, our team is treating patients pulled out from
the disaster areas with traumatic injuries. Short of medical supplies. The
Indonesian doctors found our supplies, especially the antibiotics, very
valuable. Bottled water is available but food is scarce. No power
available yet. Cellular communications patchy - going to switch off mobile
phone to save battery life. Will try to send daily update."

May I urge you to pray, in our own ways, for the victims and for the safety
of our team.

Yeo Siak Ling

The Medical Foundation

3 January 2005