SAMBHAVNA CLINIC, BHOPAL, AUGUST 18, 2006
Health Education
We have produced 5000 pamphlets on simple preventive measures [drink boiled or disinfected water, wash hands with soap before eating, put small amounts of kerosene or burnt engine oil on stagnant pools in your neighbourhood].
Symptoms and first contact treatments [including herbal, we are recommending ‘bhuiamla for treating hepatitis and turmeric and oil for skin diseases and home remedies such as lime water for loose motions] for malaria, hepatitis, typhoid, loose motions, vomiting and skin diseases. This will be distributed by about 10 people from sambhavna. More will be printed tomorrow.
Medicines
We have made a list of medicines that will be immediately required including quantities in which we need:
1. Paracetamol 500 mg 20, 000 Tabs for fever and aches
2. Chlorpheniramine Maleate 4 mg 10, 000 Tabs for cold, itching, cough and other symptoms of allergy
3. Oral Rehydration Salts 20, 000 packets for loose motion, vomiting, causing dehydration.
4. Marichadi Taila 10 litres for Ayurvedic prepared in the clinic skin diseases
5. Khadiradi Vati 10 Ayurvedic purchased kilogram for cough and cold
6. Sarjaras ointment 500 tins Ayurvedic prepared in the clinic for wounds and ulcers
We have purchased these medicines [except #4 and #6 which we produce ourselves] and have thankfully received 3,000 tablets of paracetamol, 3,000 tablets chlorphniramine maleate and 300 packets of Oral rehydration salts from Mr Atul Patel a long term supporter of Sambhavna. We have not been able to get a supply of water purifying tablets and are expecting a large supply of them from Mr Patel’s contacts tomorrow morning.
Saturday plans
Tomorrow at noon 4 or 5 groups of Sambhavna staff with other volunteers will move with the pamphlets, medicines, water purifier tablets, cameras, and note books and pencils.
In several of the bastis they visited today they have already formed peoples’ health committees. in these places the administration of medicines will be done by health committees.
In the others it will be done along with people in the bastis who haven’t formed a committee yet but are known to the health workers well and who are personally interested in helping others. Information [extent of damage done, spread of toxic water, illnesses, peoples’ needs, other initiatives to help those in distress etc] will also be gathered by the Sambhavna members and volunteers as well as photo documentation.
Local Support
The Private Medical Practitioners Association of Bhopal [PMPA] has offered to provide free consultation to individuals who are referred by us. Individuals needing urgent medical attention can be identified by people in the local health committee and be referred to doctors who are members of the PMPA.
We expect to include a small group of volunteer lab technicians who will visit the bastis and prepare blood slides for testing malaria and collect stool specimens for stomach infections and assess the pathology test requirements of the population.
Media Work
We will distribute an account of our findings and work to the media tomorrow and make an appeal for support from individuals and organisations.
Making a donation to help the flood relief work
Donations can be made online to the Bhopal Medical Appeal, which funds the work of the Sambhavna Trust Clinic, by clicking here now.
Please note, the Bhopal Medical Appeal is a project of the Pesticide Action Network, UK, and so the receipt on your credit card statement will say PESTICIDE ACTION NETWORK.
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