Cuban hospital brings relief to quake victims [The News]

From The News:
Thursday February 23, 2006


Cuban hospital brings relief to quake victims

By Zarghon Shah

BALAKOT: Pitched at the base of a pine-painted hill and ringed by tents and iron sheet shelters, the Cuba Emergency Field Hospital in the ravaged mountain town of Balakot is the only facility available to a large population on the other side of the ferocious Kunhar river.

The day starts here with the rumble of jeeps ferrying the sick and those on physiotherapy beside hundreds of pedestrians coming from rutty suburbia and treacherous mountains for checkups and medicines. All the four canvas wards, two each for males and females, of the facility are full with patients with their attendants staying outside.

Thriving with sixty-six energetic Cuban doctors and a host of local staff, the field hospital has almost become a manage for residents who explicitly praise its physiotherapy. Set up in the Naraah locality of the town, the field hospital receives around two hundred patients every day.

"Majority of cases we deal here are scabies and respiratory infection, which is high in children," said Dr Yamilka, a young and shy physician who volunteered along with hundreds of her colleagues for quake zone aid.

Dr Yamilka said that patients are some time brought in awful condition. "They suffer from water born and skin diseases, mostly acute respiratory infections and this is probably because they live in congested tents", she observed.

Another volunteer, Dr Rodar said the community has now become quite familiar with the hospital which is equipped with operation theatre, ultrasound and orthopaedic facilities. Pointing to an ambulance, he said that patients requiring physiotherapy are brought from their residences on it and dropped back.

The Cuban team landed in Pakistan on November 15 and were positioned in Balakot on November 18. They set up their hospital with the collaboration of Pakistan Army whose soldiers still gaud the facility along with few policemen.

"The best part of this hospital is its physiotherapy where outpatients are brought for rehabilitation," says Afrasiab, a high school teacher. He regularly brings his sister for exercises that include learning to walk, stand without aid and other movement skills. Lauding the efforts of Cuban doctors, Afrasiab said that her sister who had both her legs broken in the quake, was improving marvellously. "We are not much bothered now as Cuban Hospital ambulances commute between tents bearing the patients and the hospital", he said.

In addition to Naraah, other Cuban field hospitals in the Balakot area are set up at Bisian, Kewai and Jered. Across the Frontier Province quake zone, the Cubans were also the first to land in Shangla and Batagram district areas. And despite language barriers, these committed doctors have been splendidly performing their duties.

brilliant to hear

thats good. ppl there do need physiotherapy as most of the cases involved amputations n fractures.

God bless the cubans for all their help.

Thanks Cuba.