Medical supplies are in great need with the flow of aid to Myanmar after the earthquake: NPR

Bangkok – emergency aid has flowed to Southeast Asia in the two days since a huge earthquake that struck Myanmar and Thailand. Relief efforts focus on Myanmar, where the estimated number of deaths rose to 1,644 in the afternoon on Sunday.

It is expected that the death toll from the earthquake, which is 7.7 on Friday, while the number of injured people was at 3408 and the missing number was in 139 on Sunday. The earthquake center near Mandalay was the second largest city in Myanmar with 1.5 million people. In the neighboring Thailand, the death toll rose to 17.

While food, medicine and other vital supplies have arrived in Myanmar, a report issued on Saturday from the United Nations Coordination Coordination Office said that rescue efforts were hindered due to a severe shortage of medical supplies including shock groups, blood bags, anesthesia, auxiliary devices, and basic medicine for health workers at home.

“We are afraid that it may take weeks before we understand the full range of the destruction caused by this earthquake,” said Mohamed Ryles, Myanmar director at IRC.

Below is a look at some contributions to supplies, employees, cash support, countries and groups that provide assistance:

Direct help by nations

On Sunday, a convoy of 17 Chinese trucks was expected to arrive in critical shelter and medical supplies to Mandalay. China said it has sent more than 135 rescue personnel and experts along with supplies such as medical groups, generators, earthquakes and drones with a pledge of about $ 13.8 million as emergency aid.

On Saturday 51, Hong Kong sent the search and rescue employees, including firefighters and ambulance staff, as well as search and rescue dogs. The group brought 9 tons (18,000 pounds) of equipment, including life detectors and automatic satellite tracking, according to a statement on the Hong Kong government website. The Hong Kong government will also allocate $ 30 million Hong Kong ($ 3.9 million) from the disaster relief fund to help Myanmar victims.

The Ministry of Emergency Cases in Russia said that it had been transferred in 120 rescue and supplies to Yangon, and the second largest city in Myanmar, and the Russian Ministry of Health said that Moscow had sent a medical team that includes specialists in infectious diseases, resuscitation, painful census, and teams, as well as the teams that have unity and tools that can search for effects.

The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that two Indian military transport planes on Saturday brought a field hospital unit and about 120 employees who traveled north to Mandalay to establish a 60-bed emergency treatment center. India has previously said it plans to send five aircraft and four ships with relief supplies, including the rescue team and the medical teams.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Malaysia said that the country will send 50 employees to help identify and provide aid to the worst areas.

South Korea said it would save $ 2 million of humanitarian aid through international organizations.

“His government would support relief efforts” through the International Red Cross. “

The European Commission said on Friday that it would make 2.5 million euros ($ 2.7 million) of assistance in primary emergency assistance to help earthquake relief, thus reaching the total humanitarian aid of the European Union to more than 35 million euros (37.8 million dollars) this year.

Ireland announced on Saturday that the government will provide an auxiliary package of 6 million euros (6.49 million dollars) at 3 million euros ($ 3.2 million) to support the International Red Cross and the Red Cross community in Myanmar, 1.5 million euros ($ 1.6 million) each of the Myanmar Humania Fund, the joint response plan of the United Nations Agency.

President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States will help in responding, but some experts were concerned about the promised effort given the deep discounts of his administration in foreign assistance.

Contribution aid agencies

The United Nations Humanitarian Office said that other groups had been mobilized and $ 5 million from a central emergency response fund was allocated to “life -saving assistance”.

The Secretary -General and CEO of the organization on a social media said on Sunday that the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Associations issued two million Swiss francs (2.2 million dollars) in emergency money to support the work of the organization in Myanmar, Jagan Shabagin, Secretary -General and CEO of the organization, on a social networking site on Sunday.

Kara Prague, director of Catholic Relief Services, who is based in Yangon in Myanmar, said relief efforts are largely composed of local volunteers trying to find their loved ones.

Despite the flow of countries that send search and rescue teams, “hospitals are really struggling to deal with the flow of injured people, there is a lack of medical supplies, and people are struggling to find food and clean water.”