Tohoku Pacific Earthquake: Report 5 on Medical Activities on the ground - Médecins du Monde Japan

[Tohoku Pacific Earthquake: Report 5 on Medical Activities on the ground One-day visit in Otsuchi (Iwate Prefecture)] By Prune Helfter, General Director of Doctors of the World Japan April 27, 2011 One month and a half after the terrible tsunami that hit the Eastern coast of Japan, on a cold day of the end of April, I took part for one day to the activities led by Doctors of the World medical team in Iwate Prefecture. I left Tokyo on April 25 at 11pm in a confortable night bus. After 8 hours of travel (and good sleep), I arrived in the city of Kamaishi, deeply affected by the tsunami. After waiting for a while for a taxi (many of them were swallowed by the wave), I finally got one and headed to the building where medical and social care teams working in the areas meet every morning under the supervision of the authorities of Iwate Prefecture. There, about 40 medical staff coming from all over the country, from Okinawa to Hokkaido, were gathered to share precious information on the risks of infectious diseases, the arrival of new care teams, the number of people seen in consultation, etc. Doctors, nurses, social care specialists from various regions and belonging to different organizations, but still working in harmony towards the same end in a very organized and professional way: I found the Japanese way at work the moment I arrived in Iwate.