Medical camps travel to rural areas inundated by Kerala flooding

August 16, 2018 - Kerala, India

Remote medical teams from Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences & Research (Amrita Hospital) are at work to provide treatment in remote areas affected by Kerala’s floods. These places have limited access to medical care facilities and in some, the teams have had to deliver service by boat due to deep flooding.

Today all districts in Kerala remain on red alert. At least 67 deaths have happened due to rain-related incidents, with 24 taking place yesterday. As of this morning, 20 more people are feared dead in different parts of the state. About 150,000 people have been displaced from their homes.

For the past week, Amrita Hospital has sent medical teams consisting of doctors, nurses, paramedics and pharmacists to 13 communities in the Alappuzha district. More than 3,600 patients have already been treated in 18 different medical relief camps. Twenty more of these camps will take place in Alappuzha alone.

Another medical team is conducting camps in the Wayanad district with the support of a Mobile Telemedicine Unit. The vehicle is equipped with several emergency facilities including a mini-operation theatre. This team is scheduled to conduct another 25 camps in the hilly areas of North Kerala. Working 24 hours per day, they will remain in service until flooding has abated.

Embracing the World volunteers are also distributing drinking water, bags of food, clothes, blankets and bed sheets to the affected people. Plans for more aid continue as the situation develops.