My fellow AMSA members from Pakistan, the Asia-Pacific region, and beyond,
As many of us have heard, on the Tuesday, the 24th of September, 2013, the Balochistan province’s remote Awaran district in Pakistan was hit with a 7.7-magnitude earthquake. At the time of writing, officials have confirmed 305 casualties in Awaran, and 43 in the neighbouring Kech district, figures that have continued to rise since the disaster’s first occurrence. Rescue workers have reported up to 80 percent of houses in the Awaran district have collapsed and road links have been disrupted from the tremor of the earthquake, obstructing relief efforts.
A state of emergency has been declared by the Balochistan government. The Pakistani government has responded by deploying soliders for rescue and relief efforts, and have made arrangements to send food, tents and blankets to the affected areas, with more than 2000 tents and food packages reaching the affected areas thus far.
On behalf of AMSA International, I would like to bring attention to the Pakistan Earthquake of 2013, and extend AMSA International’s support to AMSA Pakistan in hopes of overcoming this disaster. I hereby initiate the disaster response protocols of the Tokyo Declaration, all of which have been agreed upon and signed by the Regional Chairpersons of AMSA International at the East Asian Medical Students’ Conference in Tokyo, Japan on the 30th December, 2012. In the same manner as when the Tokyo Declaration protocols were last initiated in response to the floods in Jakarta, Indonesia earlier this year, an emergency fund has been set up for AMSA Pakistan to use in their relief and aid project.
For more information on how individual AMSA members can help those in need, please contact your local Regional Chairperson. Our Emergency Bulletin Board, which will be updated with news directly from our friends in AMSA Pakistan, can be accessed on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/amsasresponsetopakistanearthquake2013
Sincerely yours,
SAMUEL VO
Overall Chairperson
Asian Medical Students’ Association (AMSA) International
chair@amsa-international.org
www.amsa-international.org