[12-30-04]

In response to the Indian Ocean tsunamis of December 26, one of the greatest natural disasters of recorded history, the Christian Medical College at Vellore, India is mobilizing its staff and medical resources to meet the challenges of the coming days, weeks and months. Located inland from the city of Chennai (Madras), CMC operates a 1500 bed hospital and sees over a million outpatients a year. It is a key resource in the health system for the coastal states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. Seaside cities, towns and villages in both Indian states were hard-hit by the enormous wall of water that struck on Sunday morning. Thousands are dead and hundreds of thousands are homeless and facing the challenges of maintaining health and safety with no resources. Cholera and dysentery are among the dangers that must be addressed immediately along with treatment of injuries.

Within hours of the tragedy, CMC sent an advance team to Nagapattinam, one of the hardest hit areas. Dr. Suresh David from the Emergency Services Department, served as team leader. He reported that the scope of the damage is enormous, "affecting almost exclusively the poorest communities." Additional medical teams are now in the field, and CMC is networking with mission hospitals in the coastal zone to maximize the efficiency of relief efforts. CMC is coordinating its efforts with the Christian Medical Association of India and Emmanuel Hospital Association.

CMC, relying on its longstanding tradition of selfless service, has already asked its own staff to contribute by pledging to accept payroll deductions. Here in the United States, we can do a great deal to help the stricken in the most appropriate and relevant ways by adding our contributions in support of the relief effort of CMC.

CMC is owned by the churches of India, and operated by Indian health professionals. It has earned a national reputation for impeccable integrity in diagnosis and treatment and financial honesty. CMC consistently ranks among the top five medical colleges and hospitals in all of India. Through its experienced and devoted staff, it can contribute greatly to every level of response to the disaster, from acute care for the injured to public health campaigns to prevent the outbreak and spread of deadly water-born diseases.

You can find more information, and make contributions to this emergency medical relief, at the Vellore Christian Medical College website:  http://www.vellorecmc.org/