AMAR reacted immediately to the earthquake in South Asia, looking at the best way to use the expertise gained in 20 months of working in Bam, Iran, after the earthquake there. A self-sufficient team with specific experience of the aftermath of the Bam earthquake, including a doctor, a midwife and a sanitary engineer, was put together. AMAR was invited by the Pakistan Ministry of Health to mobilise the team, working in conjunction with the World Health Organistion.
The team is now working in Muzaffarabad, in the Abbas Medical Institution. They have specific responsibility for caring for the many traumatised earthquake survivors in the late stages of pregnancy, delivering babies and providing post-natal care. The AMAR team is also providing health care for children, including immunisation, as well as supporting public health activities around the facility. The team, with the benefit of its experience, is providing much-needed relief.
