Tsunami and Medicorps

The outpouring of interest to help the Tsunami victims was indeed a wonderful sign that people do care. Besides donating generously to the major organizations involved in the relief effort many good people expressed interest to assist in person. We, at Medicorps, are mostly concerned with medical personnel.

We would like to give you a brief overview of the present situation and how you can help. Most of you have seen the devastation in the media, I am sure, but may not have a clear picture of the relief effort.

At this stage of the disaster the rescue phase is largely finished. Now we have to deal with health emergencies in large populations against the backdrop of varying political scenarios. Many private and government entities are active in the arena, at this time still disorganized and often ineffective, and their number swells by the minute. The most experienced players are the Red Crosses (International Committee of the Red Cross and National Red Cross), United Nations organizations, WHO, MSF (Doctors without Borders), Care, Oxfam, and, of course the US and other militaries, just to name a few.

The affected region is faced with up to a million homeless or internally displaced people, many of them children. There immediate needs are:

- Water
- Shelter
- Food
- Disease prevention
- Medical care
- Waste disposal
- Security

What can you do?
Usually by far the best way to help is to give monetary aid to the organization you deem most effective in handling humanitarian emergencies. Donations of tangible goods often create problems with transportation and proper use.
On location health care providers can help with field surveys, immunization, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory and communicable diseases and the treatment of neglected injuries. Public health takes priority.


How can you help in person?
Individual relief efforts often have the opposite effect of what they are intended to achieve and place an undue burden on the tenuous infrastructure. Untrained volunteers may also put themselves and others in danger. You don’t want to compete for food and shelter with those who need it most. You may also present a target for combatants in the area (particularly Aceh and SriLanka) and expose yourself to various diseases and injuries.

At Medicorps we have worked with many civilian and military aid organizations active and experienced in the Pacific Basin and the Indian Ocean region through MPAT (Multinational Planning Augmentation Team) and other channels. Our small budget doesn’t allow us to send our own team yet, but we can contact our friends to see if they have a need for your skills and can incorporate you into their teams. That way your security is enhanced and your expertise will be put to maximum benefit for everyone.

So, if you are so inclined, drop me an email with your resume and let me see what I can do. If you would want to volunteer aside from the disaster, we have many opportunities both here and abroad.

Thank you so much for offering to help so selflessly.

Mahalo,
Gunther Hintz, M.D.
Medicorps