Rescue & Aid

Handicap International to provide rehabilitation to Yushu

(chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2010-04-21 12:54

After a violent earthquake struck China's Yushu district on Wednesday, Handicap International took immediate action by sending a vehicle from Chengdu to the site of the earthquake with emergency material (crutches, bandages, compresses and neck support), as well as two members of the Handicap International team.

The staff members, a physical therapist and a logistics specialist, assessed the situation and learned the most seriously injured people, many of whom suffered complex fractures, were transferred to hospitals in Xining, the capital of Qinghai province.

Handicap International, which estimates that more than 1,000 victims will need long-term rehabilitation, will help by providing active rehabilitation treatment, training and equipment to two main hospitals in Xining, for two months.

Some of the most serious casualties were also transferred to provincial hospitals in the neighboring provinces and regions of Sichuan, Gansu and Tibet, where they will remain for a month before being transferred back to Yushu.

The organization will also ensure that adequate follow-up care is provided to victims of the earthquake when they return home. This will include training doctors, nurses and township and village doctors. An estimated 12,000 total casualties resulted from the earthquake. The victims who remained in Yushu were less seriously injured.

Handicap International's support will not be needed in terms of emergency relief items, such as tents, food and water, sanitation and basic infrastructure, since the Chinese government has already deployed financial and humanitarian resources in Yushu.

However, given Handicap International's experience with the January 12 earthquake in Haiti and the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan, it is obvious that Handicap International's support will be needed for physical rehabilitation following emergency medical intervention.

Providing appropriate rehabilitation immediately after surgery minimizes complications and the chances of developing permanent disability are reduced. There are currently no rehabilitation experts in Yushu and only basic rehabilitation is provided in the Xining hospitals.

In the meantime, Handicap International will use its existing projects in Tibet and Sichuan to provide necessary support and referral. Handicap International works primarily in Chambo, Tibet, more than 149 miles (240 km) from the epicenter of the earthquake, and the organization has been present in China since 1997.

The organization operates many projects in the field of rehabilitation, maternal health, and care for orphans with disabilities and it supports associations of persons with disabilities. Handicap International also mobilized major efforts and resources when an earthquake struck the Sichuan region in 2008.