The Malaysian Integrated Medical Professionals Association (MIMPA) was set up just about 3 months ago. From this main organization, The Malaysian Medical Gazette was created and subsequently a convention on emergency preparedness was being planned. Before the convention could be held, Malaysia has seen one of its worst floods in the East Coast, affecting more than 40,000 people. Many roads to Pahang and Terengganu were inaccessible by cars and many people were left stranded without proper medical and food supplies. Water levels were reported to have reached the roof in some areas. Impact on health was the main concern for the people affected.
In view of this, MIMPA decided to set up two rescue teams to help with the relief efforts. Even though lacking of funds initially, the MMG team, notably Dr. Lim Jac Fang, donated a sum of money to help the team fly to Kuala Lumpur and for their accommodation in Kuantan which was then used for medical supplies instead of accommodation since the state deputy director of public health, Pahang had decided to sponsor our team’s stay. The first team, led by Dr. Dhesi BR, President of MIMPA, was sent into the heart of Pahang itself. Team members include Dr. Irwilla, Dr. Anis Farhad, Dr. Alya Hamzah and Dr. Aniza Ali, a group of dedicated doctors willing to sacrifice their own time to help others. The rescue team was scheduled to leave Kuala Lumpur on Saturday but was not given flight clearance due to bad weather. On Sunday, about 10.30am, the team finally got clearance and thanks to Sazma Avation, a helicopter flew the team into Kuantan.
The second team was the coordination team. Led by Mr. Mark, a columnist in The Malaysian Medical Gazette. Team members includes Dr. Khoo Yoong Khean, Dr. Diana Joseph, Dr Noor Baizura, Ms. Kathy Hank and also Sabah Air CEO, Mr. Manu and his team. The coordination team managed to secure about RM 8500 worth of medical supplies for this rescue mission from public donations and sponsors, especially from Uzma Sdn Bhd and Deltaz Sdn Bhd. The Sazma Aviation team did a total of 2 flights to Kuantan with 1 more scheduled on Tuesday to send the much needed supplies.
In Kuantan, the ground team was first given a briefing in JKN Pahang regarding the situation. Most of the larger relief centers were well managed but the smaller ones still lacked doctors and medical supplies. This led to the rescue team traveling further in to send the medical supplies. For the first day, the team covered 2 relief centers, SK Chung Ching and SK Cherating. Most of the victims there were forced to use makeshift beds to sleep in and because of the dirty flood water, many were suffering from skin rashes, viral fever, acute gastroenteritis, dehydration and asthmatic attacks. Day 1 ended about 9.30pm with the team heading back to Kuantan to get some rest.
Meanwhile, in Kuala Lumpur, donations continue to come in and Mr. Mark spent the day coordinating the purchase of medical supplies and delivery to Subang Skypark terminal, where another helicopter took off at 12.00pm. The coordination team also managed to secure medical supplies donated by Duopharma Sdn Bhd and Actavis Sdn Bhd on Monday night.
Day 2 started with a trip to Pekan for the ground team to assess the needs of the people there. Many parts of Pekan were still flooded and the team managed to cover another relief centre, Sekolah Sains Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Pekan. The team spent the whole day there serving the people of Pekan. Day 2 ended about 8.00pm.
After the trip to Pekan, the rescue team was informed by the authorities that most of the mobile and static camps are under control. The MIMPA rescue team managed to cover most of the critically hit areas and remaining medical supplies are then distributed to other relief centers. From the feedback, the team decided to call an end to the mission and planned a bus trip back to Kuala Lumpur on Monday night.
The coordination team was still working and together with Sazma Aviation, they have arranged another flight going out to Kuantan on Tuesday afternoon to send medical supplies.
In this short time from the conception of MIMPA and MMG, it is truly amazing how far this group of people have come to help and serve the community. MIMPA is one of the youngest NGO in Malaysia and have already made a significant impact to the community. MIMPA hopes that the people of Pahang benefited from the relief efforts and pray for all the people affected in Pahang, Terengganu and Johor.
In view of this tragic event, MIMPA has decided to create a special wing for disaster and emergency management, with the tagline, “Coming To A Disaster Near You”. This special wing will have their own volunteer teams and protocols for future disasters. MIMPA would also like to thank everybody who donated to the fund and helped the relief efforts, directly or indirectly. Without the generous donations and sponsors, this relief effort would not be possible.