THE KUKMIN DAILY

Good People, an international rescue and development NGO in Korea, sent a disaster medical team to evacuees’ shelters in Barangay Tinago of Cebu City, Philippines, to provide obstetric and gynecological exams and treatment, and pediatric, internal and surgical treatment. They began their medical activities on November 21st.

Most of the people in these shelters escaped from Tacloban, Leyte Island, where Typhoon Haiyan hit the hardest. More than 10,000 people either flew 40 minutes by plane or rode 6 hours in boats to get here. Mr. Ju Jong-beom of Korea Food for the Hungry International (KFHI) said, “Transportation here does not function well and there are security issues as well. The medical team received a great response because they visited the shelters in person.”

The Korean government also dispatched a medical emergency team of 45 professionals this past November 22nd. Their main duties are medical treatment and surgery for evacuees, collection of victims’ bodies, sanitation and other preventive measures.

Even two weeks after the typhoon, however, many people have not yet been able to receive basic treatment. Director Choi Kyeong-sook of the Good People disaster medical team said, “The shelters are safe against disaster but their hygienic conditions are not at all guaranteed. Several thousand people are living together in facilities such as gyms, and the hospitals are far away. They are also exposed to germs from the muddy water and the bodies yet to be collected.”

Due to physical and mental shock from the typhoon, some women reportedly suffered miscarriages in Tacloban. In the shelters, pregnant mothers were relieved to hear their babies’ heartbeats through the ultrasonography performed by the Good People disaster medical team.

Good People announced that they will continue their medical support and other necessary aid until the Haiyan-affected regions can recover and rebuild.

Reporter Kim Jibang(fattykim@kmib.co.kr), Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)