MAA is a voluntary agency working in
We are providing the following services:
1. Health consultancy in flood prone areas
2. Mobile Medical teams with doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, laboratory technicians
3. Teams for Rapid Assessment in disaster areas.
4. Surveillance unit for Disease Outbreak and first responder Units to support the unit
5. Purchase, Logistic & ware housing support from Muzaffarpur esp. with medical consumables/ relief materials
6. Monitoring of medical/ nutritional relief for quality assurance
7. Operationalising micro clinics through community mobilisation (in process)
8. Health education on use of Halazone tabs/ ORS/ sanitation/ safe drinking water/ waste disposal through various media including nukkad natak/ Street play
9. Provisioning of volunteers trained under UNDP Disaster risk mitigation program
Through Rapid Assessments, our teams have noted the requirement for:
1. Sustainable solutions to the need for workable/ safe micro environments for birthing including water proof bedding/ sheltering materials (Static delivery huts are fine but mobility is the need in the first 4-8 weeks of chaos)
2. Safe referral of emergency cases
3. Immunisation on a large scale
4. Oral rehydration on a large scale
5. Protection for the on coming winter months which will be effective early in
6. Increase use of Disposable Delivery kits
7. Provisioning of temporary barrier contraceptives on a wide scale
8. Facilitating DOTS on a large scale as TB is spreading due to close co habitation
9. STI control
10. Intensive counselling for the affected on a large scale particularly with the women of the family esp. focusing on Family Disaster Plans/ Family hygeine/ Water discipline/ Safe cooking/ Sanitation etc.
11. Control of skin infections and infestations such as scabies/ ticks etc. on a large scale through distribution of small medicine sachets to every child & women.
12. Scaling up the use of body soap. The camps are a very nice place to start Behaviour Change Communication as we have a captive audience on a large scale.
13. There is a huge requirement for services of barbers on a large scale 14. There is a need to promote use of sanitary napkins and their safe disposal on a large scale as close co habitation is creating issues with processing of used/ soiled clothing.
15. Care for the geriatric age group as well as special needs for the disabled. This may include creation of temporary safe houses for the crippled who cannot move.
16. Provisioning of tooth brushes/paste/ traditional tooth sticks (Danth kathi) for oral hygeine on a large scale
These are to be addressed keeping in view the need for the next 4 months.
We also take this opportunity to share with you information about IRAF-NB (Information, resource & Advocacy Forum-North Bihar) of which we are one of the lead agency (health) in the region. The forum is a network of 28 NGOs in the region who are working in the field of Reproductive Health & HIV. The forum is debating on the issues of addressing RH issues in disaster prone areas as it is becoming critical in
As an implementing agency as well as through the IRAF we will be happy to associate for any collaborative effort in country.
Best regards,
Dr. Alok Lodh
Movement Against AIDS,