2012-12-18
AMMM for Mindanao Flood, Philippines - III

On 12th December, AMDA team joined by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and local medical voluntary staffs carried out medical consultation and distribution of relief goods at barangay hall of Monkayo, Province of Compostela Valley, Mindanao Island. Thanks to our local counterpart, Team got bigger in number (total of 32 staffs) and also in efficiency. Having completed all the missions successfully, 3 staffs originally dispatched from Japan will fly home on 16th December.

Team consulted 483 patients at temporary clinic, and many of those seemed to suffer from external injury, skin disease, diarrhea and upper respiratory tract infection. Some of them got infected having their feet soaked in the unclean water and others were needing wound cleaning and pus removing due to inadequate medical treatment. Team decided to give tetanus injections to people who were likely to be exposed to such risk. There was also one patient who lost conscious while waiting due to high blood pressure. It was obvious that the changes to people¡Ís life this typhoon brought out were seriously affecting people both physically and psychologically.

Apart from medical activity, Team handed packages of relief goods (2kg of rice, 3 tins of sardines, 4 liters of drinking water) to 500 affected families with the help of local leader and volunteers. While there has been no death reported in this community, most of the people have lost their houses. This community is hidden at the top of mountain followed by the narrow steep street. This remoteness caused no media coverage in this community and as a result the residents fell out of the whole picture of external assistance. People received the first relief goods and medical assistance since the disaster and expressed great appreciation to AMDA saying ¡ÌThank you so much.¡Í ¡ÍYou came all the way from Japan to see us. ¡Í Since the temperature went over 30¡ìC, the people cared for the health condition of AMDA staffs and put a hand-made roof with the plastic sheet, and fanned them with pieces of cardboard to cool down.

On the 14th, having arrived in Manila back from Mindanao, Team paid a courtesy call to Japan Embassy to report activity. In the evening, Team also visited a local NGO, PRRM (Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement) to discuss the possibility of establishing a long term partnership to strengthen the mutual learning and efficient emergency response in the Philippines and Asia.

On 16th, Team left the Philippines and arrived safely in Japan.

On 17th, AMDA Headquarter organized a press conference at the office to report and updates the situation of the area and output of the activities. Dispatched AMDA Team brought the plaque of appreciation from 1st Technical and Administrative Service Brigade AFP Reserve Command in honor of AMMM (AMDA Multi-national Medical Mission) for flood in Manila in August 2012.

The death tolls reached 1020 and 2,662 people are reported injured. 844 remain missing. The number of affected population went over 6.2 million and more than 17,000 people are still forced to live at 60 evacuation centers.

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