Association of Medical Doctors of ASIA, founded in 1984, Consultative Status with UN ECOSOC since 1995

On 23 July 2020, AMDA personnel in the Sagaramura village in flood-hit Kumamoto Prefecture successfully completed their mission and withdrew from the locality.

In order to assess the residents’ overall situations and their health conditions in the aftermath of the disaster, the personnel assisted the community health workers to conduct home-visits covering 200 households. 

On the 21st and 22nd, AMDA personnel managed to visit 10 to 15 families respectively. Besides interviewing the residents on their health conditions and damages their properties had suffered, they also provided ORS, face masks, wiping cloths, as well as leaflets for heat stroke and infection precautions. These goods were offered by the local municipality to be of use to the residents in their long haul to recovery.

While the soaring temperature of 39 degrees Celcius took a toll on the villagers during their clearing work, no one seemed to have had conspicuous health problems. However, some were still remaining anxious recalling the inundation they experienced. Even after more than a fortnight, they were always keeping themselves a set of emergency goods to carry with them in case anything happened. Meanwhile, some of local business owners were getting the wheels back on track. 

Sharing all the information they collected with the local health workers, AMDA personnel also referred them to multi-lingual medical telephone consultation services just in case non-Japanese residents needed any assistance.

Upon completing their work, AMDA personnel visited AMDA’s earlier worksites such as the disaster headquarters in Hitoyoshi City as well as Sakura Dome in the Kumamura village to report their activities. In addition to paying a courtesy visit to the mayor of the Sagaramura village on the 22nd, the team also donated relief items to local people before leaving.

As a whole, the team managed to fulfill its initial objective of visiting 200 households. The team left the disaster site in the afternoon of the 23rd.

Although the mission came to a close, AMDA will keep in touch with the local aid givers and consider providing necessary assistance for the community reconstruction if needed.