Cover Story

Medical Focus
Caring for our Patients
Wave of Help for Tsunami Victims
(Dr) Cpt Mohan Tiru (left), SCDF Contingent Doctor to Khao Lak and CGH’S A&E Consultant, extending his help to a Thai local who ran a travel agency, as clinics were closed during the tsunami aftermath.
December is usually marked by celebrations of Christmas and New Year. But Christmas of 2004 turned out to be a tragic passing when an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter Scale struck Sumatra, Indonesia on 26 Dec 2004 causing massive destruction and killing close to 300,000 people in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, India, Maldives, Bangladesh, and Africa.

But the worst disaster also brings out the best in humanity as people from all over the world came forward to help the tsunami victims, organising fundraising efforts, donating money, emergency items, volunteering on humanitarian relief missions.

Among the first to offer his expertise was Dr Mohan Tiru, CGH's A&E Consultant, who was part of the Singapore Civil Defence Force team that went to Khao Lak, Thailand, one of the worst-hit tourist resort areas by the tidal waves, from 29 Dec to 10 Jan 2005. Dr Mohan Tiru was the contingent doctor to take care of the SCDF rescuers, give advice on hygiene and medical issues. As a doctor, he also extended his help to the locals who needed medical attention.

On 31 December 2004, a team of seven led by Dr Low Cheng Ooi, Chief and Senior Consultant, Orthopaedic Surgery, CGH, left for Meulaboh, Aceh on board the RSS Endurance on a SAF Relief Mission. It was not Dr Low’s first time on a relief mission. He was part of the SAF Medical Relief Mission sent to Bengkulu, an Indonesian province along the coastline of Sumatra, when a Richter 7.3 earthquake hit Bengkulu on 4th June 2000 causing about 90 deaths and more than 2500 people injured.
Dr Low Cheng Ooi (left), Senior Consultant and Chief of Orthopaedic Surgery doing a cast for patient at Meulaboh, Aceh.

Letter from Dr Low Cheng Ooi
Who Spent 17 days at Meulaboh, Aceh:

Greetings from the SingHealth Team in Meulaboh. It has been a week since we landed in Meulaboh and I thought it would be good to update everyone back home with news from the "front". The team spent two days sailing in RSS Endurance getting to know the rest of the SAF medical team,learning the ship's drill and trying desperately not to get lost. Fortunately, in spite of the constant rolling and pitching, none of the team was seasick. Fresh rations cooked by the Navy ship, while
not of gourmet standard, taste good and certainly remind us of food from home.

The first day had part of the team in the field doing assessment of the needs of the hospital together with the SAF Medical team. Dr Tan T K met up with his Indonesian counterpart and started working on how to augment to the local team there. Dr Yong W S, in the meantime, looked into the surgical facilities there. The SAF team helped the Indonesians to clean and set up in an abandoned ward. We found out from the Director of the hospital, Dr Aris, that most of the surviving hospital staff had not turned up for work, as they were trying to look for their loved ones and recovering from the destruction of their homes. The second day had the team manning the A&E area - seeing the emergency cases, treating the wounds and setting fractures.

The main equipment and supplies came on land the next day allowing the team now to help set up the second operating theatre for the hospital. With the combined OT nursing skills of Jamilah, Wooi Ming and Linda, the stores were quickly sorted o ut and arranged for easy access and workflow. We started operating the next day with our Indonesian counterparts - helping mainly with the treatment of injuries sustained from the tsunami/earthquake disaster. Many of these were neglected wounds and fractures. Some of them were ill from tetanus and sepsis. We were fortunate that the Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) were there at about the same time setting up a post-operative ward and receiving our post-operation patients. While the surgical team was focusing on the work in the hospital, there was a primary healthcare team sent to provide basic healthcare to the refugee camps. Being able to communicate with most of the patients in Ba hasa, SN Norida worked tirelessly with the doctors and medics, providing nursing care to the patients in these camps. Soon it settled into a routine where the SAF HQ team
worked on co-ordination among the various NGOs (non-governmental organisations), the SingHealth team running the operating theatres with the SAF medics, another SAF team manning the Emergency Clinic as well as combined public healthcare teams. Each day brings new stories of the different and often sad cases seen, exciting and sometimes scary moments during ship-to-shore transfers and even the thrill of riding in Super Puma choppers - an experience not many civilians get the chance to have. At the end of the first week, morale remains high among all here in Meulaboh.

In the midst of all the destruction, focusing on the work at hand and making new friends help make light the gravity of the situation. Being there, seeing the plight of those in the disaster area and helping in whatever way possible, will forever change how each of us view life in general and remind us how fortunate we are, back home.

Looking forward to seeing everyone back home soon...

Yours truly,
LTC (Dr) (ROV) Low Cheng Ooi
Team Leader, SingHealth Medical Team

CGH’s Staff Nurse, Ms Noridah Bte Rahman (left), dispensing medicines to the sick at Meulaboh, Aceh.
Dr Chan Beng Kuen (centre), Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon with his patient turned friend at Banda, Aceh.

The team including CGH’s Nurse Clinician Linda Chen and Staff Nurse Noridah Bte Rahman, doctors and nurses from SGH and NCC helped the local doctors with A&E requirements and surgeries. They brought along medical supplies such as bandages, antibiotics and vitamins, some of which were donated by CGH. Another Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr Chan Beng Kuen, Senior Consultant, also left on another SAF Relief Mission to Banda, Aceh from 6 Jan to 15 Jan 2005.

Besides the doctors and nurses who went on relief missions, the staff of CGH also came together to do their bit and raise money for the victims through the Red Cross Society’s Tidal Wave Asia Appeal. A public collection booth was set up at the Outpatient Lobby from 11:00am to 4:00pm on 30 Dec 2004 manned by CGH staff and volunteers. CGH collected $36,722 thanks to the generous donations of staff, visitors and patients.

CGH also participated in the SingHealth “Apples with a Heart” Movement from 10 to 20 Jan 2005 where SingHealth staff are encouraged to donate their lunch money in exchange for an apple.
Putting empty boxes to good use by converting them into medicine cabinets.

In the effort to reach out to those who are secondarily affected by the tsunami. Dr Angelina Chan, Consultant Psychiatrist and Ms Sim So Sin, Occupational Therapist, ran Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) for two groups of MediaCorp broadcast staff shortly after the tsunami. These staff have been in Aceh, Phuket, Sri Lanka and India. The groups shared their thoughts and feelings about the tsunami disaster, as well as received basic education on post-traumatic stress symptoms.

They also ran CISD groups with returning tsunami volunteers together with others from KKH, SGH and TTSH. The CGH Peer Supporters, a group of trained peers which provides emotional counseling to CGH staff, also supported this MOH initiative by volunteering to do any necessary follow-ups after the debriefings.
PImprovising using the available resources at the host country is key when setting up a field hospital.
The CGH Meulaboh team receiving a jubilant homecoming welcome CGH’s Cheerleaders. (2nd row, L – R: Ms Noridah Bte Rahman, Dr Low Cheng Ooi and Ms Linda Chen)