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Palu disaster leaves hospitals swamped a month later

Poor sanitation and dirty conditions fuel sickness among the displaced


The tsunami that hit Palu, Indonesia, killed 2,000 people a month ago and left thousands homeless and a broken health system struggling to cope, according to an article on the Aljazeera website.

Undata Hospital, Palu's biggest, fears more severe aftershocks will bring more victims, so the hospital has kept the bright orange emergency tents that were erected a month ago.

Some 45 health facilities were damaged in the double disaster and nearly 4,500 people seriously injured.

Because the earthquake destroyed medical equipment, healthcare providers are forced to make tough decisions. As many as 10 patients with severe respiratory infections sought treatment at Undata, but the hospital had only one useable ventilator.

Read the article.

 

 



November 8, 2018


Topic Area: Maintenance and Operations


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