Ongoing needs and increased assistance in flood affected Nepal

Around four weeks have passed since the Saptakoshi (Koshi) River burst its banks, leaving hundreds of thousands of people displaced in India and neighbouring Nepal.  Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) responded immediately, providing emergency assistance in both countries.  In Nepal, our teams are delivering critical healthcare to around 27,000 people in the difficult to access Saptari District, on the western side of the flood-waters.  Here, members of the MSF team explain a little more about what people are facing and how MSF is assisting.   

The Doctor: From the outset, Dr Jean LUC was sent to Nepal to assess the impact of the floods on the local communities: "I was involved in doing an explo (short for 'exploratory assessment') to the flood affected areas.  When we arrived there were only two health posts in the area and these did not operate 24hrs a day.  People did not have clean water, so they were drinking contaminated water from the river. As a result people were getting sick and we have seen many cases of diarrhea.  People also needed assistance with food and shelter.  Seeing the high levels of vulnerability, we quickly set up a health clinic, began outreach work - in order to reach as many people as possible and initiated efforts to improve access to clean drinking water and sanitation.  On September 9th we confirmed the first cholera case, followed by another on the 12th.  Therefore we swiftly opened a cholera treatment center to try and stop a full-blown cholera outbreak".

The Translator: Monish SAYEED is a translator and member of the MSF Nepalese staff working in the new cholera treatment clinic. The clinic is located in one of the camps for people displaced by the floods and where the danger of an outbreak is at its highest. "We went and talked to people in the camp about cholera's signs and symptoms and realized that many people did not fully understand the disease – in response we are also doing lots of work to inform people.  They are happy that they are able to get lifesaving care", explains Monish.   

The Project Coordinator: James, Project Coordinator, arrived recently to support the team: "In addition to providing medical care for those who need it, we have set up re-hydration points, spoken to people about what symptoms to look out for, coordinated with other health staff and set up systems to ensure that patients who are sick are referred to the MSF Clinic.  We will continue to monitor the situation for further cholera cases and other medical problems, in order to respond to people's immediate needs."

The Logistician: Pascal, an MSF logistician, also arrived days after the flooding. "It was quite challenging in the first days, as no other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were on the ground. However, in the last few weeks, the situation has really improved, as many more NGOs and organizations have become active in the area.  Ongoing support for these people is essential, as the floods have destroyed people's homes, livelihoods, infrastructure and farmland – in an already fragile area.  Four Village Development Committees remain fully or partially submerged by the Koshi River and the breech in the river is still to be addressed – something that could take months".