MSF Treats Disaster Survivors in Northeastern Japan

MSF doctors treat an elderly patient in Minami Sanriku, in Miyagi prefecture, northeast Japan.

On March 11, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of the Northeast. The quake caused a series of massive tsunamis that flattened coastal areas and swept up to six miles or 10 km inland. MSF sent a team into the region by helicopter the day after disaster struck.

A month after the quake, the official toll of dead and missing is above 28,000. Some 130,000 people have been displaced.

Since the disaster, a medical and logistic MSF team of 12 people has been working in evacuation centers in Minami Sanriku, and in Taro, Iwate prefecture. Seriously injured people were swiftly evacuated by national authorities, but many of the people in the evacuation centers were elderly and suffering from chronic diseases.

After around 10 days, MSF sent a psychologist to the field to assess the need for mental health support for the survivors, and early in April, a team of six psychologists joined the medical teams.

The MSF medical teams made home visits and worked inside evacuation centers.

National authorities launched a massive response to the disasters, so MSF focused on small pockets of populations in more remote parts of Minami Sanriku and Taro.

The area devastated by the natural disasters has a predominantly elderly population, and many of the survivors had lost their prescriptions and medication. MSF medical teams were able to help them resume their treatment regimes.

A month after the earthquake and tsunamis struck, MSF teams in Japan had performed around 1,700 consultations.

The teams addressed medical issues including hypertension and diabetes.

In evacuation centers, crowded conditions have made upper respiratory tract infections common.

In addition to providing medical and psychological care, MSF teams have distributed blankets and hygiene items to people sheltering in the evacuation centers.

MSF Treats Disaster Survivors in Northeastern Japan

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MSF Treats Disaster Survivors in Northeastern Japan

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