Vanuatu earthquake: 'All hands on deck' at main hospital

Surgical ward at Vila Central Hospital. December 23, 2024 Photo: Kuroi Hawkins

Staff at Vila Central Hospital are working long hours, with many leaving their families to care for the injured, after the devastating 7.3-magnitude earthquake last week.

There are now 14 deaths recorded with a doctor's certificate and more than 210 injuries.

Dr. Siriana Natuman – Director of Hospitals and Therapeutic Services Photography: Koroi Hawkins

Vanuatu's director of hospitals and therapeutic services, Serena Natumane, said she had to leave behind her children, who range in age from three to 19.

“Many of us have already left our families and had to come and stay at the hospital, working tirelessly to at least make sure the injured are seen and services continue,” Natoman said.

“We got home at about eight or nine at night, but it was worth it because at the end of the day, people are safe — and we haven't lost lives under our care.”

She said the number of patients in hospitals has now decreased.

“We are able to focus on cases that are seriously injured and need further medical attention and ongoing medical care.”

Natuman said a clinic has also been started for patients who have returned home and need ongoing treatment.

Dr. Sal Vuruparavo, clinical leader at Vila Central Hospital, was on his lunch break when the quake struck.

Dr. Sal Tamata Vuruparavu – Internal Medicine Specialist Photo: Kuroi Hawkins

He said that as soon as he saw the level of the disaster, he knew it would be a mass casualty scenario.

“It was all hands on deck,” Vuruparavu said.

“Normally, we run like a national hospital, we have departments, people are in their own corners – like the midwives in the corner, us in the medical ward, the surgeons, but everyone went to the emergency room because they knew that was the port of entry that the victims were streaming in from.”

Communications were cut off and cracks appeared in some buildings. Water and electricity were also cut off.

“We were basically disabled – how I would describe it is basically like a chair that works on one leg. It's very difficult to run a service that way.”

He said simple things like measuring blood pressure and providing patients with oxygen could not be done.

The emergency department was also moved outside for fear the building was unsafe.

“We were basically in the parking lot, like doing outreach or something, that kind of care. We couldn't provide that specialized care.”

“We had well-trained personnel, but we didn't have the right facilities, and we didn't have our tools.”

Dr. Sal Vuruparavu says staff at Villa Central Hospital have returned to work serving their community, all still traumatized and many having lost loved ones or personal belongings. December 23, 2024 Photo: Kuroi Hawkins

Vorupparavo said mental health support will be needed in the future.

“In the immediate stages, we were more concerned about the trauma to patients, but there is also a lot of psychological damage that is unseen, unrecorded and unheard.

“Our employees are also suffering from severe trauma, especially those working on the ground floor of a two-storey building despite the certificates of civil engineers.”

Natuman said discrepancies over the quake's death toll were based on different groups recording deaths.

A previous report had put the death toll at 16.

“Anyone who hasn't gone through the hospital and been certified [deaths] “She is the one who should come later,” she said.

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