Sunday, Jan 16, 2005
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Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary | National
By V. Surjit
NAGAPATTINAM, JAN. 15. In the tsunami-ravaged Nagapattinam, two weeks after the terrifying waves, seven to 10 metres high, slammed the shore destroying everything within a distance of 1 to 1.5 km inland, the third phase of a massive relief operation is in full swing. The glare of camera lights and the contingents of paramilitary forces that crowded the streets are no longer to be seen. Health workers and cleaners are seen dusting the streets with bleaching powder. A long line of ambulances and rescue vehicles is seen in front of the Nagapattinam district Hospital, just 800 metres from the sea. The hospital, built in 1915, continues to be the centre of activity in providing medical relief to the victims. This 440-bed hospital treats about 1,800 to 2,500 outpatients daily and caters to the medical needs of the East Thanjavur region. The hospital was not spared by the tsunami waves: silt and mud deposits invaded several wards; damaged X-ray machines, ECG equipment, baby-warmers, and autoclaves; and clogged the sewer pipes.
Doctors' dedication
After the tsunami struck, doctors at the hospital worked round the clock, with limited infrastructure but tremendous dedication. They treated the injured even as they received the bodies coming from various affected areas and carried out the procedures for identification. Seriously injured patients were speedily moved to the Thanjavur Medical College for further treatment. After these emergency tasks were carried out, the hospital became the nodal centre for the coordination of further stages of medical relief, such as sending medical teams to the affected villages and relief camps, and monitoring the outbreak of epidemics, if any, and other public health related tasks. "We are taking nothing for granted," a senior health service official said. "Since the disaster has resulted in the destruction of the water distribution system, we have to guard against the outbreak of water-borne diseases, and we are taking measures to assure the supply of protected drinking water." Clearly, this nodal hospital in Nagapattinam district needs to be equipped with infrastructure that can withstand intrusions from the sea and other natural calamities.
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