Graduate nurse helps with Nepal earthquake relief
11th May 2015
A graduate nurse from Sheffield Hallam University has headed to Kathmandu, to contribute to the disaster relief efforts following the devastating Nepal earthquake.
Alice Egerton-Smith from Kingston-upon-Thames has been working in Nepal for the last five weeks as part of a programme run by Nurse Teach Reach, an international non-governmental organisation, which aims to provide nurses in developing countries with a standardised level of skill and education. Alice was working with Nurse Teach Reach based at the B.P. Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Bharatpur when the earthquake hit and was thankfully unharmed. However, Alice and her colleagues made the courageous decision to abandon their education programme and concentrate their efforts on the disaster relief in Kathmandu - one of the areas worst hit by the quake. Alice, 30, said: "We are doing first aid and wound dressings on the patients in the emergency centre. We are simply doing the best we can under the circumstances as most of the injuries are fractures and require surgery. The operating theatres are running at full capacity and there is a three day backlog. "I'm exhausted, no one has slept properly since the earthquake, we are still suffering significant aftershocks and people are incredibly frightened. We cannot return to our flat because it's been damaged in the quake so we're all sleeping on mattresses on the floor of a hotel. We're looking for safe accommodation but it's limited and so many people are homeless. I'm thankful we aren't sleeping on the street or in parks, like thousands of other people are." Alice added: "Our friends and family back home have been fundraising for Nurse Teach Reach and we are using the money to buy medication and basic medical equipment for the hospitals. Just a small donation can make a huge difference out here, so we would urge everyone back in the UK and across the world to help if they can." Sheffield Hallam University are offering counselling and support to any of the students who have been affected by the earthquake in Nepal. Nurse Teach Reach is supporting those most affected by the disaster through a coordinated response with Local Health Authorities. To donate please visit: http://www.nurseteachreach.org/
