Qatar Red Crescent setting up a field hospital in Nepal

A ground hospital was set up this morning in one of Nepal’s most problematic terrains, which remain hit by Saturday’s shocking tremor and where the death toll has so far been near 500 in Nuwakot district, thanks to Qatar’s Red Crescent. Qatar’s Red Crescent will become the first assistance operation from an Arab country to reach Nepal and set up a field hospital. Another team from Red Crescent is expected to visit Bhaktapur district in Kathmandu Valley, which is two hours’ journey from Kathmandu to install a water purifier unit. Nuwakot has also been battling challenging weather since last Saturday.

Qatar sets up field hospital in Nepal

DOHA: Qatar’s Red Crescent is setting up a field hospital this morning in one of Nepal’s most difficult terrains, which remain hit by Saturday’s devastating tremor and where the death toll has so far been close to 500 in Nuwakot district.

Nuwakot district, where the Qatari Red Crescent team is about to reach earlier today, has also been battling challenging weather since last Saturday.

According to Nepali media reports, the place has been witnessing rains, thunderstorm and massive landslides and the last aftershock, an estimated 44th, it felt was on late Monday afternoon.

While help has yet to arrive here, a team of Qatar’s Red Crescent will become the first relief operation from an Arab country to arrive in Nepal and set up a field hospital here. The Red Crescent team arrived at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport yesterday with adequate paraphernalia to set up a make-shift field hospital.

The paraphernalia consists of tents, beds, medicines and medical equipment. Emergency medicine stocks with the Red Crescent can last 30 days.

The field hospital can cater to 300 patients a day and will have enough staff. It can treat some 9,000 patients in a month.

The team members of the Red Crescent flew in a Qatar Airways’ cargo plane with the paraphernalia. They also carried with them tents and medicines and other relief materials to be distributed to the quake-hit.

Nuwakot is on an hour’s drive from Kathmandu. The Red Crescent team will look for a suitable site to set up the field hospital.  The official death toll here is 478 and thousands of people remain injured and in need of emergency medical care.

Another team from the Red Crescent will visit Bhaktapur district in Kathmandu Valley, which is two hours’ journey from Kathmandu to install a water purifier unit.

The Red Crescent team is carrying the unit with it. It can supply purified (sterilised) water to some 5,000 families a day.

There is an acute shortage of drinking water in the quake affected areas in Nepal as civic water supply tanks have either developed cracks or remain destroyed.

Meanwhile, in Qatar, people desirous of making donations for quake relief in Nepal can send SMS to Ooredoo. For QR50 they can SMS “L” to 92176, for QR100, SMS “L” to 92766 and for QR500, SMS “L” to 92700.

The Peninsula