Though just the size of a city bus, Amrita Hospital’s Disaster Management Medical Unit has provided free care to more than 1,200 people who survived the devastating landslides in Wayanad, Kerala. Immediate response began with 20 staff and then expanded to 35, including doctors, technicians, and paramedics.
“The team has performed more than 100 ultrasounds and around 75 echocardiograms. Bringing our mobile unit vehicle, which encompasses hospital-like facilities, to this disaster-struck area has been a tremendous help for all involved in the medical relief efforts,” said Dr. Jaggu, one of Amrita’s disaster-response team leads, alongside Dr. Sreekumar and Dr. Sanjeev Vasudevan.
Following instructions from the Wayanad district administration, the disaster-response unit began functioning this morning at our Amrita Kripa Charitable Hospital in Kalpetta, the capital of Wayanad district.
Since the landslides began on July 30, the Kalpetta hospital has also been at the forefront of providing immediate medical relief. The team is ensuring the continuous availability of supplies, especially by swiftly transporting life-saving medications from Amrita Hospital in Kochi.
The disaster-response mobile unit was dispatched from Kochi on July 31 to provide critical care to survivors in Meppadi, Wayanad. Patients were transported by three different ambulances from various relief camps in the area, which was severely hit by the landslides.
The vehicle is equipped with comprehensive medical diagnostic facilities, including X-ray, ECG, ultrasound, echo, PFT, Doppler scan, and a high-speed laboratory. It also features a mini operation theatre and telemedicine facilities.
