PINDE JAYA, ACEH: The Umno Welfare Bureau’s special team arrived here today to obtain information on medical supplies needed, as well as other aid which can be channeled to victims of Wednesday’s earthquake.
The team is led by bureau secretary Azizan Md Zain, joined by committee member Datuk Hang Tuah Din, who is also secretary-general of the Malaysian Youth Council Alumni.
The team will visit ‘ground zero’ tomorrow and the day after to establish the type of aid needed, especially temporary medical facilities as well as tents to house those displaced by the tragedy.
The areas set to received aid are expected to include Ulee Glee, Tring Gadeing and Merdu, as well as the Pinde Jaya city centre.
Bureau chairman Datuk Samsul Annuar Nasarah, who is also Umno supreme council member, is expected to personally deliver the aid to the victims.
Checks by the New Straits Times Press (NSTP) team showed that medical supplies, including painkillers and anaesthetic is desperately needed in many temporary medical centres set up in the surrounding districts.
The Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah (RSUD) Dr Fauziah in the Bireuen district, as well as the
RSUD Tgk Chik in Tiro, Sigli have become the main hospitals for patients in critical condition. This is because of the extensive damage suffered by the RSUD Pinde Jaya, which has left it inoperable.
The local medical disaster team chief Dr Said Abdullah said several temporary medical centres have been set up at various locations to enable those suffering from light injuries to receive quick treatment.
“There is however a critical shortage of certain medical supplies in the Bireuen and Sigli hospitals. We would be immensely grateful for aid from Malaysia,” he said.