Kerala Floods: Team of doctors from Maharashtra return

Last Monday, a team of general physicians, surgeons, gynaecologists, paediatricians, ENT specialists and preventive medicine specialists from J J hospital and Pune’s Sassoon hospital had left for Kerala’s Thrissur, Alleppey, Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta districts.

The team members after their return. Express

A medical team from Maharashtra, which had visited Kerala last week, returned on Monday in an Air Force plane after attending to over 13,000 flood-affected people, mostly treating cases of fever and skin infection.

Dr Sarang Donarkar, a specialist in preventive medicine, who was part of a team of 100 officials from the state, said: “We stayed at a school in which a relief camp was set up. I was surprised to see the locals there also helping out in every possible way…”

Donarkar was among the 25 doctors who were stationed at Pathanamthitta. Last Monday, a team of general physicians, surgeons, gynaecologists, paediatricians, ENT specialists and preventive medicine specialists from J J hospital and Pune’s Sassoon hospital had left for Kerala’s Thrissur, Alleppey, Ernakulam and Pathanamthitta districts.

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In Alleppey, the doctors had conducted door-to-door visits to treat patients. While most complained of fever and fungal infection on limbs, a few cases of snake bites and wounds sustained during rescue operations were also reported.

Dr Arshad Khan, chief coordinator of the Maharashtra team, said that all patients were given doxycycline medicine to prevent water-borne infections, which is expected to rise in the coming weeks. “End of last week, the Kerala authorities said they had things under control and did not need medical aid from us anymore,” Khan said. Following this, the team of doctors left for Mumbai.

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