Rotary Regency Visits Camps in Northeast Province

Our medical relief team left Colombo for Valachchenai (in the Northeastern Province) at 2 p.m. on Friday, January 7th. This team included four Indian doctors, our partner in medical camps, Dr. Weerasinhe, three Colombo Regency members, and two additional volunteers. The four visiting doctors included two physicians, one gynecologist, and one general surgeon.

The team began treating patients on Saturday morning. The first camp, led by Dr. Weerasinhe at the Hindu College shelter in Valachchenai, treated 1,700 people affected by the tsunami. The second camp, at the Pentecostal Church shelter in Valachchenai, was conducted by the four doctors and Regency's team. By 4 p.m. they managed to treat all 1,400 people at the shelter. In addition to the medical screening and dressing for the injuries sustained during the waves they received, the children at this camp were de-wormed and given dry rations from Regency supplies.

Since there was one van load of medicines left, our team decided to search for another location. They found a group of people in an interior village called Alankulam. There was no shelter there, but makeshift tents them. The camp went on until 7 p.m. Our team was able to screen all 450 people who were there, dress injuries, de-worm all children, and hand over the remaining dry food items. Our Health Camp promotor Prabhu even dressed some of the patients!

Before leaving the area for Colombo Sunday, our team gave the remaining medical supplies to the Batticaloa Rotary Club for their relief efforts.