Staying beyond the emergency

By Amrul Irsan Nasution, IMC Field Medical Coordinator, Bantul

IMC first came to Sorotopo, a remote neighborhood not far from Yogyakarta, a week after the catastrophic earthquake in May 2006. Indonesia had not yet recovered from the horrors of the 2005 tsunami when another 5,700 people died in the quake and hundreds of thousands were left without homes in an area that had been spared by the tsunami. A helicopter assessment showed that Bantul district surrounding Sorotopa was among the most isolated and devastated. More than 400 were dead and about 1,800 houses severely damaged or destroyed. The survivors were in urgent need of help.

People had lost everything and IMC brought tents, blankets, cooking utensils, and hygiene kits. Children were vaccinated and thousands of families received food. After being cut off from the outside world for days many received lifesaving medical care through International Medical Corps. "For months, health authorities could not visit many villages and neighborhoods. Without IMC's efforts, and the support of the HESS Corporation, people would not have received any medical assistance in those areas,” says Dr. Amrul, the IMC Field Medical Coordinator in Bantul.

PHOTO: Irianto, IMC Driver Dr. Amrul's team (the nurse Devi Malinda and the midwife Syafrianti) provides services from IMC’s mobile clinic, which has become a community meeting place.

Making a House Call
Today, more than six months after the disaster, the IMC mobile clinic still comes every week to Sorotopo and many other neighborhoods in the district. The team sees new patients and follows up on those they began treating on earlier visits. Dr. Amrul Irsan Nasution, nurse Devi Malinda, and Syafrianti, a midwife, provide primary health care from their van focusing on the health and nutrition of mothers and children. Many survivors still need surgery and physical therapy for the injuries they suffered during the quake. The IMC team refers them to the closest hospital where they can find specialists and continues their treatment once they return to their village.

But on every visit Dr. Amrul and his team make a special house call to see Kaliem. The 80-year-old woman broke her left leg and both bones in her left forearm during the earthquake. Initially, she was treated at the provincial hospital, but since then she has refused to go back for further treatment. Now, Dr. Amrul takes care of her post-operative treatment, making sure that her blood pressure is under control and her heart in good condition.

Like many of the older people in Sorotopo, Kaliem was afraid of leaving the remains of her damaged house behind. The fear of dying alone in a hospital, away from their homes and without their families, outweighed the benefit of medical treatment. “We did not know what to do… Everybody was very busy and there were many injured people all over the place,” her family explains. They cannot even imagine how Kaliem would do today if IMC medical staff would not look after her.

Same Place – Same Time
Only days after the earthquake IMC decided to help the people around Sorotopo because no other medical teams had gone to this remote area and it had been underserved even before the earthquake. With funding from the Hess cooperation five mobile teams visit over 100 sites in the area. In December alone they conducted more than 5,200 consultations.

Today, IMC is still the only health care provider in Sorotopo. Since most public buildings were destroyed during the earthquake Dr. Amrul’s team has chosen a shady spot under a big tree for their visits. Every week at the same time under the same tree the people of Sorotopo know that IMC will be there. Not everybody comes for help, though. Some bring fruits and water while patients are examined. And others just stop by to have a chat with the IMC team, just like old friends.