The MSF team is currently on day 7 of its provision of medical support to the health centres in Labuan and Carita — which are among the most affected areas by the tsunami that hit Sunda Strait in Indonesia — as well as its operation of a mobile clinic, and conduct of medical follow-ups among internally displaced peoples’ (IDPs) shelters and communities.
(One of MSF team, Ahmad Suryadi, is interviewing one of the communities in Kampung Batu Hideung Kampong, Tanjung Jaya Village, in Panimbang Sub district, Pandeglang District. © Dirna Mayasari/MSF)
“MSF has set up two types of emergency medical teams, fixed and mobile. We are supporting the existing health centers and visiting the affected populations in the communities. In the health centers, MSF is providing medical care as well as ensures that Infection-Prevention-Control protocols are in place,” said Dr. Dirna Mayasari, the Deputy Medical Coordinator of MSF Indonesia.
The MSF team has also initiated the provision of Psychological First Aid (PFA) among a few admitted patients. A mental health programme will be rolled out by MSF in the coming weeks.
As of 28 December, 2018, the MSF team has treated and referred 44 patients in the two health centers in Labuan and Carita. The mobile clinic run by MSF has treated a total of 147 patients coming from 10 kampongs/shelters. MSF will also provide follow-up medical check-ups to 12 pregnant women from the shelters and additional 13 patients. Some patients in need of medicines for chronic diseases have also been identified.
As per evaluation of MSF, the urgent medical needs of the tsunami survivors include: effective medical follow-ups for trauma patients and those with chronic diseases; antenatal and post-natal care as well as safe delivery for pregnant mothers; and early detection of possible disease outbreaks.
MSF has also assessed the limited access to water and toilet facilities in almost all the evacuation shelters. Hygiene and sanitation must also be improved. Other areas for improvement are on the food delivery system, and the provision of blankets and sheets especially in this rainy season. Thus we are coordinating with the authorities to improve those areas.
(The MSF midwife is seen here dressing the wounds of a tsunami survivor in the shelter. When she was fleeing, she was dragged by the water which caused her injuries. She had been separated from her sister, who was 4 months pregnant, as they were both running towards the mountain. She has requested the MSF team to help find her sister and check her condition. The team went to the location where her sister sought refuge. They found her and checked her condition and that of the baby in her womb. © Cici Riesmasari/MSF )
Possible expansion of MSF medical interventions
MSF is assessing the expansion of its current medical interventions to also cover Panimbang Sub District, located on the southern part of Pandeglang.
(This is the destruction of the tsunami in one of the most affected areas in Cikadu Village, Panimbang Sub district. The MSF team conducted a rapid assessment in this area to determine the medical gaps that can be supported. © Dirna Mayasari/MSF)
“This (Panimbang Sub District) is one of the worst-affected areas and difficult to reach. There are many affected people in this area who have not yet received medical care and support,” said Dr. Nyi Wynn Soe, the Medical Coordinator of MSF Indonesia.
Based on a rapid assessment study conducted by MSF, the villages in the Panimbang Sub District are quite remote and the people affected are scattered among the host communities in the hills. In an initial MSF exploration, in collaboration with the concerned Indonesian health centres, the team treated some patients they met along the way and referred some of them to a hospital.
