Background
- On April 25th, 2015, a powerful earthquake of magnitude 8.1 struck the Gorkha region of central Nepal
- The earthquake directly resulted in over 9,000 deaths, as well as 23,000 people injured
NYC Medics Response
- NYCMedics assessment personnel arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal on April 29th
- NYCMedics registered with the Nepalese Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) and the Foreign Medical Team (FMT) Cluster to provide a Type 1/Mobile FMT; the initial formal request from the MoHP and FMT Cluster was for a 3-month deployment from NYCMedics
- Secured US$180,000 grant from AmeriCares to fund medical team costs structured as $30,000 per team for 6 teams covering the anticipated 3-month deployment (2-weeks per team), as well as a gift-in-kind for donated drugs and medical supplies
- Tasked by the MoHP to deploy and respond to the Dhading district
- Developed partnership with Himalayan Healthcare (HHC), a local NGO providing primary health care to remote villages in the Dhading district
Accomplishments
NYC Medics deployed two mobile medical teams to the Dhading district, and coordinated their deployment with MoHP representatives in Dhading Besi, the district’s capital. Logistics were particularly challenging in this part of Nepal, as the mountainous terrain made it difficult to reach remote villages except by helicopter, and most helicopters had been tasked by the Nepalese government to other relief efforts. Despite these challenges, the NYC Medics mobile medical teams were able to access and provide medical care in the areas assigned by the MoHP, including Jharlang and several surrounding villages for Team 1, and Rigaun and several surrounding villages for Team 2. Though the initial request was for a 3- month FMT commitment for the Nepal response, the MoHP and the FMT and Health Clusters determined that the acute healthcare needs were not as severe and widespread as initial assessments suggested, and thus the MoHP requested FMTs including NYC Medics to stand down after 1-month.
- Team 1 deployed from May 4th to May 14th
o Twelve-member team consisted of 1 public health professional (team leader and logistician), 2 physicians (emergency medicine), 3 physician assistants, 1 nurse
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practitioner, 3 registered nurses, and 2 paramedics; additional support was provided by HHC (2 persons)
o Medical team held clinics providing care to Jharlang, and mobile teams deployed to surrounding villages including Sungyang, Kalmarang, and Tingchet
o Medical team provided consultations to 613 patients
o Medical team performed 41 minor surgical procedures
- Team 2 deployed from May 16th to May 29th
o Nine-member team consisted of 1 public health professional (team leader and logistician), 2 physicians (1 emergency medicine, 1 pediatrics), 3 physician assistants, 1 registered nurse, and 2 paramedics; additional support was provided by HHC (2 persons)
o Medical team operated mobile clinics in Rigaun, Longarchet, Konglong, and Tawal o Medical team provided consultations to 670 patients
o Medical team performed 50 minor surgical procedures
o NYC Medics identified one urgent case (sinusitis with traumatic foreign body requiring surgical removal) and arranged for evacuation to T.U. Teaching Hospital; on follow-up through HHC the patient was found to be recovering well
o NYC Medics identified one emergent case (pregnant woman with eclampsia and seizures) and arranged for immediate evacuation by helicopter to Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital for emergency c-section; on follow-up, both the patient and her newborn baby were recovering well
