Nepal quake: Insaf Malaysia heads to villages near quake epicentre to help out

the star
BY LOH FOON FONG

KUALA LUMPUR: Most of the assistance to earthquake victims has been focused on Kathmandu and only limited aid has reached villages near the disaster epicentre in Lamjung, 80km from the capital.

It was for this reason that Insaf Malaysia decided to head to Gorkha and Laprak following the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the Himalayan nation on April 25.

“If we could get a helicopter service and more doctors, we’d want to cover Sirdibas, Uhya, Barpak, Gumda, Lapu and Soti as well,” said Ishak Abdul Kadir, the president and founder of the technical relief NGO.

He, together with two doctors, a clinical psychologist, a nurse and a logistician, drove to Gorkha, 140km from Kathmandu, on May 2 through a narrow, winding road.

After attending a relief work coordination meeting the following day, they found out that the Nepalese did not have the logistics to move deeper into the villages, which could only be accessed via trekking or a helicopter.

After connecting with a captain of the Indian army, they got a helicopter ride from Palumta airfield to Laprak, where an internally displaced persons camp was located, and quickly treated 33 patients, mostly children and infants, in the one and a half hours before dark.

Helping hand: Insaf Malaysia team members led by Ishak (below) providing medical assistance to the victims in Laprak

The locals provided blankets while the Singapore police assisted with solar-generated electricity.

At the Laprak camp, 3,600 displaced persons from 600 villages lived in tents with their livestock.

The elderly, he said, did not go there for treatment because it was too strenuous for them to walk through the hills for five hours to reach the base camp.

“Some of the injuries had not been treated for days.

Ishak Abdul Kadir

“Some were sent to hospital by helicopter when they ran out of antibiotics,” said Ishak, adding that they saw 100 to 130 patients every day.

“Even when we did not have anything more to offer the villagers, a bottle of mineral water could bring them cheer.”

Those who wish to donate to Insaf Malaysia can do so via these account numbers – Maybank: 562188306090 or CIMB: 8600184578. For details, contact 03-4251 9444.