MIYAKO, Iwate Prefecture--Perched atop a hill overlooking this Pacific coastal city, the Iwate Prefectural Miyako Hospital was spared the worst of the tsunami that inundated the area after Friday's devastating earthquake.
Staff Writer
MIYAKO, Iwate Prefecture--Perched atop a hill overlooking this Pacific coastal city, the Iwate Prefectural Miyako Hospital was spared the worst of the tsunami that inundated the area after Friday's devastating earthquake.
As such, it has become a source of hope for many in the disaster zone where countless people remain unaccounted for.
Many hospitals in the area were badly damaged.
On Friday, soon after the first tsunami struck the city, a pregnant woman was rushed to the hospital. She delivered a girl soon afterward at 6:17 p.m.
The following day, Yuka Kobayashi, who had returned to her parents' home in Miyako from Tokyo to give birth, delivered a baby girl at 6:57 a.m.
The obstetrician at the hospital said that while both mothers appeared nervous amid continuous updates of tsunami, they did not experience any problems while giving birth.
"At times like this, it is a great encouragement to hear news like this," said Senji Kanno, director of the hospital.
Having emerged unscathed from nature's fury, the Miyako hospital has also made a huge difference for many who rely on medical services for their survival even in normal times.
Katsutomo Inoue, 1, who suffers from chronic illnesses in his lungs and intestines, is a regular visitor to the hospital to receive aspiration treatment after feeding to prevent milk from entering his trachea. The little boy has already undergone two major operations.
But on Friday, getting to the hospital was a perilous affair.
Katsutomo's mother, 40, borrowed a sash and a bath towel from people as she fled from her home and strapped her infant son to her back.
Then she scaled an incline covered by a bamboo thicket. Along the way, she was picked up by a friend who was passing in a car, and they made it to the hospital.
"As we fled, I could see the tsunami closing in," the woman recalled. At the time, she cursed her misfortune. Her own mother only passed away last April.
"But I believe that we both were able to escape because mom was watching over us," she said.
As many families have been separated, the hospital serves as a crucial rendezvous point for people trying to make contact.
A woman, whose mother-in-law was being treated at Miyako Hospital, managed to be reunited with her husband here.
"I knew that I could meet him thanks to grandma," she said, sitting in the hospital waiting area.
Many diabetics, unable to carry insulin with them as they fled their homes, arrived at the hospital assisted by family members and collapsed into wheelchairs.
Many survivors, having negotiated treacherous floodwaters to reach safety, were exposed to cold winter weather for extended periods without dry clothes to change into. They were rushed to the hospital suffering from hypothermia.
A large number of people were badly bruised or had broken bones after being struck by fast-flowing debris, such as timber.
The hospital has nine artificial dialysis machines, making it the only facility capable of providing dialysis in Miyako and neighboring Yamada. Hospitals in both towns were badly damaged.
The Miyako hospital has beds for 109 people. It is now transporting dialysis patients to hospitals in Morioka, the prefectural capital. Those with minor injuries are being sent to evacuation shelters after receiving first aid treatment.
"We were wondering why so few people sought treatment on the day the earthquake struck," said one doctor. "But then a large number of patients were brought in with broken bones and suffering from hypothermia from early Saturday morning."
Due to a blackout, treatment was conducted under dim and unstable lighting. When the power supply resumed Saturday night, the faces of patients and medical staff alike lit up as if a miracle had occurred.
Along with regular staff, the hospital is currently being supported by emergency medical teams dispatched from Aomori, Akita, Nagano and Niigata prefectures.
By Sunday, the number of emergency patients brought to the hospital had dropped to about one an hour.
While the lull would normally be a cause for relief, staff at Miyako Hospital were not rejoicing.
"There must be more people" who need treatment, said one doctor. Another expressed frustration: "While we are trained to provide medical services in situations like this, it is frustrating to think that many people cannot seek help from rescue teams because cellphone systems are down."
Many medical staff are not sure how their own homes and families are.
"In times like this, it is my duty to work for others," said a nurse who put on a brave smile in front of patients.