Activities Report II
Rehabilitation Activities for Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami July11-Sep 15
During and after the emergency period, the local hospitals managed to maintain the services to respond to people’needs, despite the limited facilities and resources. AMDA continued to send volunteers to the affected hospitals with theobjective to reduce the daily workload of hospital staffs, and enable them to take some time off work.
■Rehabilitation support at 2 hospitals
AreaPartner Hospitals

Otsuchicho (Iwate Prefecture)

Otsuchi Hospital

Minamisanrikucho (Miyagi Prefecture)

Shizugawa Hospital■Total number of dispatched personnel to 2 main sites (11 July to 15 September 2011)
Doctors： 4
Nurses: 13
Pharmacists: 1
Psychotherapists ： Coordinators： 6
1
Assistant Nurses： 11
Care Workers： 1
Assistance Doctor: 9 Acupuncture therapists： 1■Daily operations at activity sites~Minamisanrikucho, Motoyoshigun, Miyagi Pref ecture~
Whilst the scar left out by the earthquake are still visible, many people
gather at monthly held ‘cheer-up market’ which sells local products such as‘Shizugawa octopuses’.

As July and August being summer holiday, many children visited the clinic
for dental checkup, and also receive vaccination for cervical cancer atpediatric department. There were many patients of heat stroke due to theextreme heat. At an outpatient ward, there were also many cases uniqueto the disaster affected area such as insect bites and injuries whilst working

Hospital Staffs and AMDA volunteers at temporarily built
facility of Shizugawa Hospital (outpatient ward).

outside. On busy days and in the cases of emergency, the medical teamand hospital staffs treated patients after clinic hours.
Hospital staffs commented ‘more nurses can take leave now, thanks tothe program’. However, on the other hand, many of our volunteers reported
that the hospital staffs devote themselves for caring patients saying ‘we arebusy with preparation of funerals and cleaning but we don’t want to leave
work now’. In order for those staffs to have time-off to recover physicallyand mentally, AMDA decided to continue this ‘nurse dispatch program’ until
the end of September and aims to support the manpower of the hospital.

~Otsuchicho, Kamiheigun, Iwate Prefecture~

Otsuchi Hospital welcomed 2 volunteer doctors of AMDA on one-weekalternating rotation from 7th August to 20th August. Five months have

Not all patients can be accommodated inside the waiting room.

passed since the disaster and the debris in Otsuchicho are cleared.
Doctors from AMDA treated an average of 14 patients a day. Some ofthe major symptoms amongst the patients were hypertension,
hyperlipemia and diabetes. There were patients who experienced thedeterioration of chronic diseases such as neurogenic symptoms andblood pressure instability in coping with the traumatic loss of the loved
ones. Some started drinking alcohol trying to get decent sleep, andhave developed alcohol cirrhosis.
5People waiting for bus by the road side to visit clinic in Otsuchicho

Activities Report II
The temporary housing of Otsuchicho are located in between
mountains, it is not easy to access the hospital. People who are living
off the route of cyclic bus, they would have to get a taxi to the mainstreet, or walk. At the temporary housing, people hesitate to ask
others to get a lift to the hospital, as they do not know each other very
well. Dr. Suzuki of AMDA says ‘we need activity in which people feelcloser to each other at the temporary housing’.

■Acupuncture Therapy
A Meeting to check the construction design of‘Otsuchi Health Support Center’

Patients Treated from May - August 2011
Month

Number of Patients

May56

June118

July

144

Total370

Acupuncture Outreach took place in evacuation
August52
centers, homes, insidecars to respond to patients’needs.

‘Acupuncture Outreach’ started soon after the disaster in Otsuchicho,
Kamiheigun in Iwate has been still on-going by the local acupuncturist
Ms. Sasaki. Around 370 patients have been treated since May toAcupuncture therapy took place in cars, evacuation
centers, people’s home and school before theestablishment of a new clinic.

August. Other than the major cases such as backaches, shoulder
aches and knee aches, there are many people who suffer frominsomnia, fatigue and ear ringing, which are often caused by stress.
From 8th to 23rd of August, AMDA sent Dr. Takahashi andacupuncturist Mr. Imai and conducted medical outreach. On 5th
September, the local acupuncturist Ms. Sasaki and the people
launched ‘temporary acupuncture clinic’ in Masanai Assembly Housein Otsuchicho.
Opening■Forthe futures
追加要of this clinic enabled the medical practice on
fixed place and time. As a result, patients at the evacuation center on
Otsuchi High school as well as the regular patients before the disaster
have better access to the services.

Putting up an advertisement to announce the new
opening of Acupuncture Clinic (left).

■For the Future
AMDA is currently preparing for the construction of ‘AMDA health support center’ with acupuncture clinic in
Otsuchicho. The construction will start in October 2011, and is plan to be inaugurated before the end of this year.
Upon a request from the partner hospitals, AMDA decided to extend the program for another three years until we see thatthe local medical institutions recover the capacity to fully respond to the specific needs of people in the areas.
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