Urgent Appeal for Immediate Medical Assistance & Medical Supplies

Human Catastrophe & Medical Emergency in the Vanni

Heavy fighting and continuous multi-barrel artillery shelling has resulted in more than 300 internally displaced persons being killed and over 1000 hundred injured in Suthanthirapuram, Udaiyaarkaddu, and Vallipuram in the Mullaitivu District.

We are making an URGENT APPEAL to the Government of Sri Lanka, ICRC, the UN, and the international community for medical supplies and medical teams to be sent to the District to assist our staff. We currently only have 9 MMBS Doctors.

The nature of the injuries and the number of the injuries is such that if the follwoing medical supplies do not arrive in the next 24 hours many of the injured will die.

1) Blood Bags

2) Blood Transfusion sets

3) IV Fluids

- Hartmanns
- N.Saline
- Haemaceal
- Dextrose
-Gelafusin

4) IV giving set

5) IV Cannulas of different size

6) Antibiotics

IV
- Benzyl pennicillin
- Ampicillin
- Cloxacillin
- Cepazolin
- Ceftriaxone
- Metranidazole
- Gentamycin
- Tazosin

Oral
-Amoxicillin
- Cloxacillin
- Cephalexin
- Metranidazole
- Augmentin

7) Dressings

- Gauze
- Bandage
- Cotten
- Analgesics

8) Pain killers

- V-Morphine
- Pethadine
- Fentanil

9) Oral - Paracetamol

- Ibuprufen
- oral morphine
- Panadine forte
- Indocid

10) Anaesthatic Drugs

- Ketamine
- Propofol
- Thiopental
- Suxamethonium
- atrcurium, Rocuronium,Pancuronium
- Neostigmine
- atropine
- Hydrocortisone
- Maxalon,Ondensetron,phenargan

9) Local anasthatics

- lignocaine
- lignocaine with adrenaline

10) ETT Tubes

11) Urinary catheters, Bags

12) Intercostal drainage tube

13) Surgical items

- Surgical blade
- Suture materials
- Vicryl 1.0,2.0,3.0,0.0
- Nylon Proline 2.0,3.0,4.0,5.0
- Silk Catgut 0.0,1.0,2.0,3.0
- Suturing needles

14) Miscalanious

- Anti malarials

RDHS Office TP No: +94 60 2244811 Fax No : +94 60 2244811 Email : mullaitivurdhs@gmail.com

26 January 2009

Urgent Appeal for Immediate Medical Assistance & Medical Supplies to Prevent a Human Catastrophe in the Vanni

Over the last 24 hours over 300 civilians who were awaiting relief and medical assistance within the “Safety Zone” declared by the Government of Sri Lanka have been killed and several thousand injured in Udaiyaarkaddu, Suthanthirapuram, and Vallipuram in the Mullaitivu District by Sri Lanka Army multi-barrel artillery and mortar shelling by the Sri Lanka armed forces.

TRO Vanni is making an URGENT APPEAL to the people of Tamil Nadu, the Government of India, the Royal Norwegian Government, the international community, international humanitarian organizations and the United Nations for the immediate delivery of medical supplies and medical teams to the hospitals in the Vanni.

These medical supplies must arrive within the next 24 hours if the lives of these injured are to be saved. If these supplies do not arrive immediately there will be a humanitarian catastrophe of enormous proportions and hundreds more will die.

The heavy shelling and bombing has caused terror in the civilian population and many have run into the jungles seeking refuge. Many of these people are injured and are in dire need of assistance. Medical personnel and volunteers are unable to access these areas due to continuous shelling.

All of the hospitals in the Vanni, Kilinochchi Hospital and Mullaitivu Hospital, have been displaced and are functioning in schools or other public buildings. These displaced hospitals have been stretched to their limit due to the continuous bombing and shelling of the Vanni over the past few months.

The injured have no access to medical supplies and there are not enough doctors and other medical staff available to treat the population.

The continuing indiscriminate aerial bombardment and shelling by the Sri Lanka armed forces has caused immense destruction and suffering, which has been exacerbated by the Government of Sri Lanka’s draconian embargoes on supplies of food, medicine, fuel, tents, tarpaulins, and other humanitarian relief items to the people. The attacks and the embargoes comprise a callous effort to drive the population of the Vanni, on pain of death and injury, into military-controlled areas.

TRO Vanni appeals to the people of Tamil Nadu, the Government of India, the internationalcommunity and international humanitarian organizations for the immediate delivery of medical supplies by land, sea or air within the next 24 hours.