The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Lessons learnt from tsunami relief management: workshop

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 04, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Lessons learnt from tsunami relief management: workshop

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, FEB. 3. The management of dead bodies was one of the biggest problems that the Health department faced in the aftermath of the tsunami, which took over 170 lives in the State.

The mortuary facilities were woefully inadequate at the taluk hospitals where bodies started piling in and facilities in Medical Colleges and private hospitals had to be sought.

This was pointed out at a review meeting and workshop held on the Health department's disaster management experience here at the Medical College on Thursday.

Doctors said that while a disaster management committee set up three years ago under the State Planning Board had prepared the blueprint of a disaster management plan, they did not have a rapid action plan at their fingertips when the tsunami struck.

Medical teams

However, the department had despatched medical teams to all affected areas on day one itself. There were 89 relief camps on day one and each camp was managed by a medical team. Sufficient quantities of medicine were procured and the district medical officers were authorised to make local purchases.

Special State-level and district-level daily monitoring units were opened at Karunagapally, Kayamkulam and Ernakulam for planning and implementing hospital-based, relief camp-based and field-level activities. Over 45,000 people were housed in relief camps, apart from 700 in-patients in the first three days.

Senior officials of the Health Service said that this time around, the Government was prompt in making funds readily available for managing relief activities and that those in charge of the affairs at the affected areas were given freedom to utilise money as necessary.

The devastation caused by the tsunami also threw up major medical and public health challenges. Apart from immediate management of medical cases, there were also issues of mental health to be tackled. Special wards were opened and teams of specialist doctors from Medical Colleges were sent to Karunagapally and Kayamkulam.

Mobile sanitary teams were deployed to ensure proper disposal of solid wastes. Shallow trench latrines were in use for the first two days in the camps and sanitary latrines with water facilities were constructed on a war footing. Camps were cleaned twice a day; vector control measures, spraying of larvicides and insecticides were also ensured.

Boiled water

In all relief camps, only boiled water was being used and quality of water and food samples were being checked daily by food inspectors.

Only food cooked inside camps was allowed to be distributed after some people contracted diarrhoea from outside food.

All leftover food was destroyed. Health officials said that they considered it a major success that till date not a single epidemic or suicide has been reported from the area. Apart from 150 cases of diarrhoea, three cases of chicken pox and one case each of mumps and measles, no communicable diseases were reported in the camps or in the community, it was pointed out.

The Health Minister, K. K. Ramachandran, who was present at the review meeting, congratulated the department for managing tsunami relief works successfully.

The tsunami experience of medical personnel would be utilised to strengthen the existing system of disaster management, he said.

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