Left to right: Dr. Sajan K Sebastian, Dr. Abhishek Samuvel, Director, Anandaban Hospital, Lalitpur, Nepal, Dr. Ashwin Sakharia and Dr. Ajay Alex
On April 25th, 2015, a devastating earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale struck Nepal with the small town of Gorkha – roughly 140 kilometers from Kathmandu – being the epicenter. The aftermath of this natural disaster was a great loss of life, homes and livelihood. The devastation was widespread across Gorkha, Kathmandu and other neighboring districts. The approximate numbers were 8000 killed and over 20,000 injured. An International call for help was sent out from Nepal and Missionary Hospitals in Nepal and in Indian towns on the Nepalese border to help with relief process and to manage the scores of patients who had been affected directly and indirectly by this event.
Under the guidance of Dr. Abraham G Thomas – Director, Christian Medical College, Ludhiana – a response and aid team was assembled on the 27th of April, 2015. The team of 4 consisted of an Orthopaedic Surgeon, a Maxillofacial Surgeon, an Anesthesiologist and a Resident in Orthopedic Surgery. The following were the team members –
- Abhishek Samuel – Orthopedic Surgeon (Team Leader)
- Sajan K. Sebastian – Anesthesiologist
- Ashwin Sakharia – Maxillofacial Surgeon
- Ajay Alex – Resident, Orthopedics
(Click here to read the full report of the team and to see pictures of the destruction and the team in action.)