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AmeriCares Emergency Relief Expert, Puji Sutrisno, arrived in Padang, Indonesia early this morning (local time) and has spent the day working with doctors and administrators at the three hospitals in the city to determine how best AmeriCares can help in this time of great need. He visited all three hospitals; the Dr. M. Jamil Hospital, which is the main hospital for the city, was heavily damaged in the earthquake. Help us deliver critical aid >>
Sutrisno reports the conditions in Padang are very bad. “When I arrived, there were about 1,000 patients in makeshift tents on the hospital grounds and doctors were doing all they could to save lives and care for the injured. Most of the hospital has been rendered unusable,” Sutrisno reports.
After visiting the hospitals, he attended the United Nations (UN) health cluster meeting and was briefed on the situation. Sutrisno is actively coordinating AmeriCares emergency response with the Ministry of Health, the Emergency Crisis Center and local partners in the capital, Jakarta.
AmeriCares emergency relief efforts include securing local donations of medicines and medical supplies from manufacturers in Jakarta, as well as coordinating deliveries of medical assistance and other aid from its distribution warehouses in Stamford, Connecticut and Amsterdam, Holland. Sutrisno will continue to work closely with hospitals and the UN health cluster to collect a list of priority medicines and supplies for immediate delivery.
“The city is eerily dark—there’s no electricity for almost a million people. Most of the hotels have been damaged and are closed,” added Sutrisno. There is no Internet connection, so all of AmeriCares communications with Sutrisno are through his mobile device.
On Sunday, he is heading to Pariaman, about 50 miles away. Pariaman is reportedly in worse condition than Padang.