IMC teams respond quickly to Pakistan disaster

SANTA MONICA, CA–Reacting immediately to Saturday’s massive 7.6 earthquake, International Medical Corps dispatched three teams of medical doctors and nurses to North West Frontier Province (NWFP), Pakistan. The teams will provide emergency care through mobile clinics, and assess the immediate, medium- and long-term needs of affected communities.

Senior police officials report that at least 1,700 people have died, and thousands more have been injured. In the northern area of NWFP, entire villages have been flattened. This is the deadliest quake in the area since 1974, when a 6.2 temblor killed 5,300 people.

We were able to respond immediately to the disaster as a result of our long-standing presence in the region. For nearly 20 years, IMC has been working in Pakistan’s NWFP, strengthening the health care system through training and development programs, mother- and child- health services in rural areas, and medical care for Afghan refugees. Currently, we have more than 100 staff members providing services throughout the NWFP.

International Medical Corps is a global humanitarian non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives and relieving suffering through health care training and relief and development programs. Established in 1984 by volunteer doctors and nurses, IMC is a private, voluntary, apolitical, non-sectarian organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life through health interventions and related activities that build local capacity in areas worldwide. By offering training and health care to local populations and medical assistance to people at highest risk, and with the flexibility to respond rapidly to emergency situations, IMC rehabilitates devastated health care systems and helps bring them back to self-reliance.

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