April 25, 2017, will mark the second anniversary of a devastating earthquake in Nepal that killed nearly 9,000 people, injured more than 17,000, and damaged or destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes, schools, businesses, and healthcare facilities, as well as critical infrastructure and historic landmarks. On this day, the world will remember how a small Himalayan country, which was already struggling with high levels of poverty, political instability, and caste, ethnic and gender inequality, was tragically struck by death and destruction. But many Nepalese people need no reminder of the disaster, as they are still struggling with its consequences every day.
Despite the dire circumstances that many people in Nepal continue to face, there remains hope and optimism. Many humanitarian groups from around the world provided assistance to Nepal following the earthquake, and this report details aid that Direct Relief delivered to improve the health and quality of life of survivors.
Direct Relief’s Response
As soon as the massive earthquake struck, it became clear that Nepal would not be able to address the enormous spike in demand for medical services, as the already limited capacity of the existing health infrastructure had been severely diminished. In Nepal’s 14 most-affected districts, the earthquake and aftershocks damaged or destroyed more than 1,200 health facilities and affected access to healthcare services for an estimated 5 million people.
Ensuring Access to Essential Medical Goods
Direct Relief’s main objective in any large-scale emergency response is to deliver emergency medical resources – that are requested, approved by the responsible government authority, and appropriate for the circumstances – where they are most needed, as fast and efficiently as possible. Direct Relief immediately started working with its in-country partners to assess needs for medical aid and to rapidly mobilize and distribute medical resources to experienced emergency medical teams and to Nepali-based organizations and health facilities. In additional to making its entire inventory of medical resources available – valued at over $100 million – Direct Relief worked to acquire additional medical material resources via product contributions from healthcare companies, as well as purchased essential medications, supplies, and equipment items from local and regional manufacturers and distributors for immediate delivery and use.
The outpouring of support from those around the world enabled Direct Relief to deliver 170 tons of medicines and supplies, worth more than $50 million, to agencies and healthcare facilities caring for earthquake survivors in Nepal over the last two years. In addition, this support has allowed for more than $3 million in cash grants to be provided to locally run organizations to help with recovery and reconstruction efforts. Direct Relief’s ongoing response will continue to support needed medical services while helping to rebuild local health systems and strengthen resiliency.
As of April 2017, Direct Relief’s Nepal earthquake response efforts have resulted in the delivery of 339,207 lbs. of specifically requested medical goods with a wholesale value of $50,250,158. This humanitarian material assistance was furnished through 69 individual donations to 31 partner facilities and organizations, for which Direct Relief arranged for and managed all logistics, transport and physical delivery throughout the affected regions.
See the full article with tables/charts onDirect Relief