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In response to the Singapore Red Cross Society's appeal to help victims of the earthquake and tsunami that had swept across the Indian Ocean and affected many countries including Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives and Thailand, the National Healthcare Group (NHG) and the Singapore Health Services Group (Singhealth) will field a twelve-member medical and nursing team to Trincomalee - Sri Lanka.
The medical and nursing team, made up of doctors and nurses from the two clusters, will leave for Trincomalee on 5 January 2005, Wednesday, under the banner of the Singapore Red Cross Society. The team is expected to return home on 17 January.
Another similar medical missions team is planned for 16 January. Besides fielding medical missions teams, NHG and Singhealth have also started a donation drive among its institutions to raise funds for thousands who have lost their homes and loved ones due to this disaster. The proceeds will go to the Singapore Red Cross fund for this purpose.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL FARREN FERNANDEZ AT TEL: 6357 8415 / PAGER: 98026811/ EMAIL: farren_fernandez@ttsh.com.sg or LIEW YEN LIN AT TEL: 6357 8413 / EMAIL: yen_lin_liew@nhg.com.sg
FACT SHEET: NHG's MEDICAL ASSISTANCE FOR TSUNAMI VICTIM
NHG has responded as an organisation to help the tsunami victims.
Our donation drive amongst our staff has collected $135,000 so far. In addition, some of our doctors, nurses and paramedics have also volunteered to travel to the affected areas to provide medical assistance to victims on the ground.
Sri Lanka Missions
A team of 6 doctors, 6 nurses and a pharmacist have responded to an earlier call by the Singapore Red Cross Society (SRCS) to provide medical assistance to help victims in Sri Lanka. The SRCS's relief will focus on providing primary healthcare assistance at Trincomalee, which is in the north eastern part of Sri Lanka. The first team will depart on 5 January and will return on 17 January. The second team will depart on 16 January and will return on 30 January.
It is estimated that each medical team will be treating about 500 patients a day, and about 10,000 patients in total for both missions. The most common conditions that we expect to see are infected wounds, respiratory tract infections, diarrhoeal diseases, malnutrition and dehydration. The mobile medical teams will operate each time as a group from several sites such as churches, temples and schools where the displaced populations are currently being housed, while maintaining base camp at Trincomalee town.
Indonesia Missions
NHG's medical teams will also be part of the Singapore Arm Forces' (SAF's) relief expeditions to Indonesia. Both healthcare clusters - NHG and SingHealth - are pooling resources together with the SAF so that our relief efforts can be better co-coordinated and bring the maximum benefit to the victims. The Singapore government is giving its full backing to the SAF effort, which has come to represent our country's humanitarian response in the face of this calamity that has stricken our neighbours so disastrously.
The SAF is currently focusing its efforts on Banda Aceh and Meulaboh in Indonesia, which have been worst hit by the disaster. For a start, the SAF has established a primary healthcare presence in Banda Aceh and is in the process of setting up a surgical unit in Meulaboh. NHG and SingHealth have been requested to provide doctors and nurses to support the medical relief operations.
Up to now, about 80 NHG doctors, nurses and paramedics have volunteered to help. We are gratified to see such a spontaneous response of courage and compassion from amongst our own staff. At this time, the SAF is making some last minute logistics arrangements. Selected volunteers will be required to leave within 48 to 72 hours.
Not all volunteers will join the SAF relief expedition at once and at the same time. The SAF relief expedition is expected to stretch over a period of time. We will need to rotate our volunteers to serve in batches. Volunteers will serve at least 2 weeks at a time.
When activated, our volunteers will be required to attend a briefing conducted by the SAF prior to their departure. As there are risks involved and it is strictly a voluntary effort, volunteers are at liberty to decide after the briefing, whether they wish to join the SAF relief expedition or otherwise.
Staff Welfare
NHG will provide all its volunteers with full-pay Unrecorded Leave, daily allowance and comprehensive travel insurance which covers emergency evacuation when required. NHG will also provide inoculation including for Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Tetanus and malaria prophylaxis to volunteers before their departure.
Internally, NHG will work out a roster for its volunteers in the best possible way, so that we can minimise any disruption to our operations and patient services at home.
Moving forward, as a group we will continue to do our best to contribute in whatever way we can, be it through donations or volunteering, or supporting our colleagues who do so.
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