Medical team returns after lending aid to Myanmar's cyclone victims
By Valarie Tan, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 05 June 2008 2136 hrs

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SINGAPORE: A Singapore medical team sent to Myanmar to provide aid to victims of Cyclone Nargis returned home on Thursday.

The team - 13 doctors and nurses from the Ministry of Health, and ten medical volunteers from charities Mercy Relief and Red Cross - spent two weeks in Myanmar.

They attended to patients with respiratory ailments, skin infections and gastroenteritis.

Initially based in a town called Twan Te, which is about an hour's drive from Yangon, the team later extended their services to Kayin Chaung, which was previously inaccessible.

Medical staff in the team said they saw 600 patients a day in the last week of May, up from the initial 200.

They also attended to non-cyclone patients for injuries and chronic diseases.

The team also faced some challenges, including mental and physical fatigue from the heavy patient workload.

Meanwhile, Singapore plans to send more aid to Myanmar to help the victims of Cyclone Nargis.

Local charity Mercy Relief is sending in more than 20 water treatment and filter systems, worth S$250,000 in about a week's time.

Mercy Relief said these will be sent to the delta areas to provide clean water for residents there. Six volunteers will also be sent.

Another charity, Red Cross, is in talks with its international federation for an ASEAN-Red Cross medical team to be allowed into Myanmar. The team is expected to consist of medical, disaster management and logistics experts.

Red Cross Singapore said it expects an answer by next week on whether this is possible. The Health Ministry also has two medical teams on standby. - CNA/ac/vm