GENEVA: A serious lack of medical products is hampering efforts to listen to the deadly disaster in Myanmar, the United Nations said Saturday, adding that those impacted needed urgent humanitarian assistance.
The UN said it was mobilising disaster response efforts, behind charitable partner agencies, following the great earthquake that struck on Friday, leaving more than 1, 600 people dying in Myanmar and neighbouring Thailand.
” As the whole range of the crisis unfolds, immediate humanitarian assistance is needed to support those impacted”, the UN humanitarian company OCHA said in a statement.
It said the answer was being hindered by a lack of medical materials, along with broken highways and communications facilities.
” A severe lack of medical products is hampering response efforts, including stress products, body bags, anaesthetics, assistive devices, essential medicines, and tents for heath workers”, OCHA said.
The company said hospitals and health facilities had sustained extensive destruction or had been destroyed.
” Telecommunications and web problems continue to prevent charitable communications and activities. Damaged roads and dirt are obstructing charitable access and confounding needs assessments”, it added.
OCHA said cooperation work were under way to conduct swift needs assessments and scale up the emergency response.
” The disaster caused widespread damage of houses and severe damage to vital infrastructure”, it said.
” Thousands of people are spending the night on the roads or empty spaces due to the damage and death to properties, or fearing more quakes”.
In northern and northern Myanmar, facilities in Mandalay, Magway and the money Naypyidaw “are struggling to cope with the influx of people injured”.
In the southeastern portion of Shan state, many settlements have been affected, with clothing, pillows, emergency homes and food aid needed quickly, OCHA said.
The company said a fleet of 17 goods cars from neighbouring China carrying tents and health products was expected to arrive on Sunday.
