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

In response to flash floods that struck Masamba in the North Luwu Regency of South Sulawesi, Indonesia on 13 July 2020, AMDA Indonesia and AMSA UMI (Asian Medical Students' Association Muslim University Chapter) sent a joint medical team to organize three-day relief activities.
 
As global warming has caused excessive rain falls, the water volume in the upper stream of the Rongkon River, which flows through the region, has gone up to the point in which the surrounding environment could not withstand. This eventually triggered the occurrence of the flash floods.

The Indonesian National Agency for the Disaster Management (BNPB) said the death toll from the flash floods was 21. According to statistics released by the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) on the 15th, six sub-districts of North Luwu were affected. A total of 4,202 households (15,994 people) were afflicted and 156 households (655 people) were displaced, while 4,930 houses were submerged and 10 houses were swept away. 213 houses were covered with mud and sand, and the bridges connecting the villages were cut off. The road infrastructure received a significant damage in which roads were buried up to four meters of mud pile.

The joint medical team left the provincial capital, Makassar, in the afternoon of the 17th, carrying relief goods such as blankets and disposable diapers along with food items. The team also brought personal protective equipment to be donated to medical facilities for the COVID-19 precaution.

On the 18th the following day, the joint team began providing medical assistance and relief supplies. The team noticed that some of the victims were suffering from trauma after losing their close ones, while being put under immense stress in fear of a recurrence of the disaster. It was suggested that community-based trauma care, and emotional care for children in the early phase of their shelter life, were needed. For this reason, the deployment of an emergency medical unit with appropriate medical resources was considered desirable in fulfilling these medical needs, the team later reported.

  
On the same day, the joint team also started distributing personal protective equipment and disinfectant solution to local medical facilities including Andi Djemma Hospital and Hikmah Hospital. As most of major local hospitals had been experiencing difficulties in providing adequate medical services (even at public facilities), the joint team responded by donating relief money, medical supplies, clothing and blankets.
 
On the 19th, the team completed its relief work in the morning and left the area. Although the relief mission has come to a completion, AMDA will continue monitoring the situation on the ground.