Medical teams treat wounded in remote Indonesian villages
With a severely infected and swollen foot, Siti waits to be treated at an Operation Blessing medical clinic.
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By Sarah Pate
YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia - For many, the late afternoon sunlight with its golden hues and warm highlights marks the most beautiful time of the day. But today, for 24-year-old Siti, it is the most painful.
Dr. Andy of Operation Blessing pours 80 percent proof rubbing alcohol over the top of her severely swollen foot. She maintains her composure with stoic reserve, and even the occasional smile when her hand is not covering her mouth to hide the discomfort. Since the 6.3 earthquake struck the villages and surrounding areas of Yogyakarta, Central Java, the people of Indonesia have shown they are visibly tough and able to mask their pain – both emotional and physical.
Unfortunately, the more Dr. Andy probes the wound to clean the infection, the more tears begin to flow from Siti's beautifully bronzed face. A wall crumbled onto her foot following the earthquake and this is the first day that she has received medical treatment.
In fact, it is the first day that the village has received any medical help at all. As the convoy of Operation Blessing trucks pulled into this remote mountain village, hundreds of villagers began to hobble and bike their way to OBI's temporary medical clinic.
"I saw Operation Blessing trucks go by my house and heard there was a medical clinic," said Siti. "There is no hospital nearby and no health clinics for us to go to." Siti's house, like that of many others, is actually a tent. Her family's former home – now a pile of rubble – sits just behind.
The lack of immediate medical care since the earthquake has proved to have painful consequences for Siti and others in her village.
As Dr. Andy administers local anesthetic to her infected foot, Siti buries her face into the arms of Carolina, an OBI volunteer. In just three hours, Operation Blessing treated over 100 residents.
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The infection has nearly reached her potentially fractured foot bone. In order to save her foot, Dr. Andy must work quickly. The sun is setting and there is no electricity in the village.
Twenty minutes later, Siti's foot is bandaged and she is smiling once again. The Operation Blessing medical team managed to treat over 100 people in three hours, but nightfall has forced them to close the clinic. OBI teams will make the two hour trek again tomorrow to continue providing aid to the village and ensure that everyone receives emergency medical treatment.
In the mountain village of Banyurip a few miles away, a team of Operation Blessing doctors and paramedics set up another clinic at a local town hall. Within minutes, a crowd had gathered – many with red and swollen eyes. Their eyes spoke of pain, but not from grief. An outbreak of pink eye had spread among the majority of residents in this farming community. One by one, they came to the clinic with handkerchiefs in hand, dabbing their eyes. Others hid behind sunglasses.
"NGOs don't want to come this far to our villages," said Mulyono, a local resident. "Everytime we watched TV, we saw others getting help and we were jealous. You are the first to bring medical help to our community and we are so grateful."
In addition to providing medical care to over 2,000 Indonesians since last Sunday, Operation Blessing teams continue to distribute thousands of blankets, tarps, and over 11,000 bags containing food and emergency aid.
HOW YOU CAN HELPThe residents in Central Java, Indonesia, are still in desperate need of medical attention and aid following Saturday's earthquake. Be a part of Operation Blessing's relief efforts by making an online donation today to help those affected by the disaster.
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