St. John's physician David Allison to oversee Nepalese mobile hospital
Eastern Health's chief medical officer of health is headed on an overseas mission, hoping to make a difference in earthquake-ravaged Nepal.
David Allison left the province on Wednesday night to take part in an orientation in Ottawa, before heading to Nepal as part of a Canadian Red Cross relief effort.
Allison is set to spend the next four weeks as a senior medical officer in a mobile hospital north of Kathmandu.
While the immediate medical needs of many earthquake victims have been met, Allison says there's still much to do.
"For me, a lot of this is focused on prevention," he said.
"Obviously at this point in time, the most significant injuries have been dealt with, but we need to act to support the health system in Nepal, to make sure that services are adequate and to prevent disease and problems from occurring down the road."
Nepal has been hit by two major earthquakes in less than a month, as well as a number of aftershocks.
Allison said he expects conditions will be challenging when he arrives in the hard-hit village.
"This is the rainy season so on top of people being displaced from their homes, we're also facing rains," Allison said.
"The rains, along with the recent earthquake, can combine to make significant landslide risks. Many areas are remote and difficult to access at the best of times. Some of the areas where the most need is are hours, if not days, walk from the nearest facilities."
Allison has assisted with earthquake relief efforts in Haiti, as well as a cholera outbreak in Sierra Leone.