In Afghanistan's earthquake-ravaged villages, a doctor treats wounds and infections, and hears stories of loss

Written by Talia Myers

When Dr. Obaid Al-Rahman Al-Yousifi remembers what happened, he remembers the shrouds.

On August 31, a 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 2,200 people, destroying entire villages, and displacing tens of thousands. A few days later, Dr. Yusufi arrived with a team of medical workers in the village of Anderlicak in the Sukai district of hard-hit Kunar province, and saw piles of materials in front of a small local mosque. One resident explained that villagers had to quickly find shrouds for about 85 people killed in the earthquake.

“I felt afraid” when I saw the piles of coffins, he explained in English. This was a very fascinating story and memory for me.

Dr. Yousefi is a physician with the Afghan Islamic Medical Association, a non-profit group. Since September 5, AIMA workers have been providing medical care to the Afghan people in villages affected by the earthquake: treating injuries and infections, caring for pregnant and lactating women, and providing medicines to patients suffering from chronic diseases.

Speaking to Direct Relief in English and with the help of a translator, he described scenes of urgent need and horrific loss.

The group of service providers at AIMA was split: one team quickly set up a fixed clinic, headed by Dr. Yusufi, in the Othman IDP camp in Khas Kunar district, while a mobile team traveled to hard-to-reach villages in the mountainous region using an off-road vehicle.

AIMA's earthquake response teams were equipped with an emergency shipment of 17 pallets from Direct Relief. The shipment contains about 8,300 pounds of antibiotics, prenatal vitamins, oral rehydration salts, water purification tablets, prenatal vitamins, inhalers, medications, insulin, and other supplies needed to manage chronic diseases — about $6 million in wholesale value.

The supplies were received and distributed by the AMOR Afghan Health Organization (AAHO), a long-term direct relief partner and one of the few NGOs in the country that can receive international humanitarian support. Over the past 12 months, Direct Relief has provided $460,000 in material medical assistance to Afshar Hospital, run by AAHO, in Kabul.

Earthquakes occur frequently in Afghanistan. Even in relatively moderate amounts, they pose a serious threat to the country's rural provinces, where buildings are often informally constructed from readily available materials and are highly vulnerable to collapse. Eyewitnesses reported that the death toll was particularly high, because this earthquake occurred when people were sleeping in their homes, and women and children were particularly affected.

Mountainous terrain and damaged roads can deprive vulnerable communities of rescue and aid, as happened in this earthquake. Even without the additional impact of natural disasters, the Afghan people suffer from high levels of poverty, hunger and malnutrition. The United Nations estimates that more than 23 million individuals – more than half of the country's population – are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

In addition to humanitarian needs, more than 2.2 million Afghans have returned to the country from Pakistan and Iran this year – often involuntarily. Thousands of returnees from Pakistan are currently living in the areas devastated by the earthquake.

Asked about reports that many women were unable to access medical care after the earthquake, Dr. Yousfi said it was a “true story.” To ensure that women in IDP camps and affected villages have access to primary health care and maternity care, the AIMA medical team included several female members: two doctors, a midwife and a nurse.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women in these areas suffer from low iron levels and other nutritional deficiencies, making prenatal vitamins and other forms of nutritional support an urgent need, Dr. Yousefi reported.

He estimated that the two teams had treated more than 1,250 people so far, in a conversation held on October 13.

Many of the people treated by the AIMA team have suffered horrors. A young child, who was trapped under the collapsed wood for approximately 18 hours, suffered a broken leg and other injuries. After being airlifted to hospital for treatment, he was returned to Othman camp for displaced people.

“Now he is completely healthy,” Dr. Yousefi recalls that AIMA staff changed his bandages every day.

The man, who was treated for a broken femur, lost his wife, four sons and two daughters during the earthquake. He told Dr. Yousfi that their deaths occurred right in front of him.

“This story was very important to me,” the doctor recalls. Many of his patients suffered devastating injuries and serious health problems, and many of them lost several family members.

“They are having a very difficult time living,” he said.

Arifa Dashti contributed translation and interview services for this story.

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