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PARIAMAN, Indonesia: It has been nearly two weeks since the earthquake in West Sumatra. While international search and rescue teams have packed up and left the quake-hit regions, foreign medical teams are still working hand-in-hand with their local counterparts.
That is because even after so many days following the disaster, new cases of quake injuries from the villages are still turning up at hospitals.
The medical team from the Singapore Armed Forces will continue to be stationed in quake-hit Pariaman for at least another week.
Rahmanita fractured her forearm when the earthquake hit. Rahmah, mother of Rahmanita, said: "She was taking her bath when the earthquake happened. She was hit by some debris but managed to crawl out."
But for over a week after that, she was not given proper medical treatment. And by the time she turned up at the Pariaman hospital, she had been bearing with the painful fracture for over 10 days.
A wound on her feet has also become infected. Yet, she might never have turned up at the hospital if not for Indonesian Health Officer Madam Vonny.
Mdm Vonny said: "On the eighth day, she went to the Kampong Uji Medical Centre. I noticed that her condition was quite bad. I then brought her to the Padang-Pariaman General Hospital. She was immediately seen by a doctor from Singapore."
While there are cases of those injured by the quake turning up at the hospital a week after their injury, there are also those who sought treatment immediately after the quake, but the hospital then had no means to treat them.
Madam Yulian is one such case. Her painful thigh fracture was not operated on until four days after her injury.
For Pulmiati, who fractured her knee in the quake, her wait was even longer - an agonising nine days. Still, her wait was already shortened considerably, thanks to the influx of foreign doctors.
Medical teams from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia have been helping to clear the backlog of injured quake victims at Pariaman hospital.
They also brought newer equipment, such as faster x-ray machines which are usually not found in a small town facility. And they have made a difference to the lives of the people there.
Rahmanita, for example, was sent into the operating theatre the very afternoon she arrived at the hospital. And the last we checked, she is doing well and should be discharged soon. - CNA/de
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