MILLWOOD, Va., May 12, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Project HOPE medical volunteers in Nepal provided emergency medical care to thousands of patients injured in the second deadly earthquake to hit the country in three weeks.
"We saw a lot of cuts and fractures from falling masonry and debris, and there is a lot of concern about the psychological impact of this second earthquake. People are extremely traumatized and fearful. Many have lost their homes and now this," said Cherri Dobson, a nurse volunteering for Project HOPE in Kathmandu.
The 7.3 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal at around 12:35pm local time, killing dozens of people. The quake's epicenter was about 52 miles from the capital Kathmandu. As panic spread at the Manmohan Memorial Teaching Hospital where HOPE medical volunteers are working, patients were escorted out of the building. The medical team swiftly set up a triage center near the emergency room.
Reports from Nepal say there are serious concerns over the shortage of medical supplies. Project HOPE has shipped USD $2.2 million of medicines to Nepal.
Project HOPE has a team of 14 medical volunteers and three staff involved in the relief effort. They were deployed after a powerful 7.8-magnitude earthquake killed more than 8,000 people on April 25. Because of the possibility of collapsing buildings, the team is sleeping in tents outdoors at this point, for their own safety.
HOPE's team is coordinating with the World Health Organization, United Nations and Nepal's Ministry of Health to ensure that its humanitarian operation is effective and aid reaches those in need.
There have been dozens of aftershocks since the first quake three weeks ago. UNICEF and other aid agencies say the psychosocial trauma suffered by the Nepalese, especially children, is severe.
Meanwhile, HOPE will continue to coordinate the shipment of donated medicines and medical supplies requested by Nepal's Ministry of Health in the short-term while the organization develops sustainable solutions for the long-term.
Project HOPE has responded to most of the major disasters of the last decade including the Indonesian tsunami in 2004 and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines in 2013.
In 2012, Project HOPE volunteers provided crucial medical care and health education to remote areas of Nepal during the organization's fourth humanitarian mission in partnership with the U.S. Air Force (PACANGEL).
About Project HOPE
Founded in 1958, Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere) is dedicated to providing lasting solutions to health problems with the mission of helping people to help themselves. Identifiable to many by the SS HOPE, the world's first peacetime hospital ship, Project HOPE now provides medical training and health education, and conducts humanitarian assistance programs in more than 30 countries. Visit our website projecthope.org and follow us on Twitter @projecthopeorg
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