Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – In response to the devastation that Cyclone Yemyin has caused, MERCY Malaysia will mobilize its first 5-member medical and assessment relief team into the Pakistani provinces of Balochistan and Sindh on the 5th of July 2007. Equipped to provide medical and humanitarian services to the displaced people that currently number approximately 250,000, MERCY Malaysia's team will consist of 1 medical officer, 2 nurses and 1 logistician from Malaysia, as well as a medical assistant from the organisation's representative office in Afghanistan.
"As water levels are now falling in some parts of flood-hit Pakistan, we will finally be able to reach areas that have been inaccessible for days," said Datuk Dr. Jemilah, President of MERCY Malaysia. "Our first medical and assessment team will be stationed in Pakistan for two weeks, and we will send in more relief teams according to how the crisis plays out."
According to a report from Reuters AlertNet ("Pakistan step up flood rescue; more rain due", 2 July 2007) Pakistan, Afghanistan and India have been badly affected by Cyclone Yemyin packing winds of up to 130 kilometres per hour . The early rainy-season storms and flooding have killed more than 650 people across the region in the past 11 days, affecting a total of 2 million people, with an estimated 204 people missing. South Pakistan has been hit hardest as torrential rain and severe flooding have affected the flat and usually desert-like Balochistan province in particular, and more bad weather is expected.
According to reports, urgent needs at the moment include clean water, medical supplies for diarrhoea, gastric infections, vaccinations and more, as well as temporary shelter plus emergency health kits and trauma kits.
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MERCY Malaysia
MERCY Malaysia is a medical organization that provides humanitarian aid in crisis and non-crisis situations. We serve local communities through outreach programmes and our focus for the future will be to ensure that vulnerable communities in Malaysia are better prepared through risk education and disaster preparedness. MERCY Malaysia is active internationally and has sent relief missions to Kosovo, Cambodia, Indonesia (Maluku Island, Nias, Aceh and Jogjakarta), Afghanistan, Turkey, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Iran, Sudan, North Korea, Pakistan, Maldives and Lebanon. MERCY Malaysia also runs a Drug Rehabilitation and Assistance Programme to assist drug reformers return to society.
For media queries, please contact:
Melani Delilkan, Senior Communications & Fundraising Officer
Tel: 603 – 4256 9999 Fax: 603 – 4251 8435 Mobile: 019 268 2790 Email: melani@mercy.org.my