Orthopaedic Doctors from South Sulawesi Deployed to Flores Earthquake Site

A number of orthopaedic specialists from South Sulawesi have been deployed to help victims of the earthquake in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. They have already arrived in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, and will proceed to the earthquake-affected locations that require orthopaedic medical services.

“Our orthopaedic doctor colleagues from South Sulawesi are already in Labuan Bajo. They have asked for assistance with travel to the incident locations,” said Deputy Health Minister Benjamin Paulus Octavianus during a cross-ministerial coordination meeting on the Flores earthquake response in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, on Sunday.

Orthopaedic doctors are specialists who focus on treating injuries to bones, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons and nerves. Benjamin said the orthopaedic doctors deployed to the Flores earthquake site are accustomed to handling cases such as those experienced by earthquake victims.

“They are used to handling cases like this. They want to go to the incident locations and are currently waiting in Labuan Bajo, asking for direction from us here on how they can be dispatched to the locations that particularly need services,” Benjamin said.

Eight regencies in Flores were affected by the 7.7 magnitude earthquake. According to Benjamin, the orthopaedic doctors will be deployed to the Manggarai and East Manggarai areas, which have the highest number of victims from the earthquake centred in Mbay, Nagekeo.

“If we look at it, the Manggarai and East Manggarai areas most need assistance from orthopaedic doctors,” Benjamin said.

In addition to the orthopaedic doctors from South Sulawesi, a number of doctors from Kupang have also arrived to help earthquake victims in Flores. They will be deployed to assist victims in Manggarai.

Meanwhile, Basarnas has recorded that the death toll from the earthquake has risen to 51 people, with 64 people seriously injured. The victims are spread across several earthquake-affected areas in Flores.

Four additional fatalities were recorded today. The death toll increased in East Manggarai and Manggarai.

“The increase in East Manggarai is three residents who were evacuated in a deceased condition, then Manggarai went from 23 to 24, an increase of one, bringing the total to 51 fatalities,” explained Head of the National Search and Rescue Agency Mohammad Syafii during the coordination meeting.