Myanmar: IOM delivers medical, shelter aid from three delta hubs, appeals for more funding

Relief Web

IOM Yangon has now received over 100 tonnes of medical supplies and other emergency relief goods valued at over USD 2 million to help survivors of Cyclone Nargis, which struck the Irrawaddy delta on May 2nd.

IOM relief operations, which are now coordinated from three hubs in the three delta townships of Bogale, Pyapon and Mawlamyinegyun, include distribution of relief items including tarpaulins, rain ponchos and mosquito nets, as well as the deployment of mobile medical teams providing direct medical aid.

The IOM mobile medical teams, who use Zodiac inflatable boats to access remote delta villages hit by the cyclone, have treated over 9,100 patients in 147 villages in the three townships over the past month.

IOM has also seconded staff to take part in the post-Nargis joint assessment (PONJA) of the 30 worst affected townships - an exercise set up by the Tripartite Core Group of the Government of Myanmar, ASEAN and the UN a month ago.

Two IOM staff coordinated the village tract assessment component of the PONJA in Bogale. Preliminary findings of the exercise, which also included a macro-level damage and loss assessment of infrastructure, are expected to be presented to ASEAN member states tomorrow.

In the light of the extent of the damage, under a new UN funding appeal expected to be launched in July, IOM will be seeking a further USD 4.5 million to rebuild bamboo shelters and distribute non-food relief items in Bogale, Mawlamyinegyun and Pyapon townships in the coming months.

It will also be appealing for USD 1.1 million for the reconstruction of primary health facilities; USD 910,000 for the reconstruction of birth centres (with UNFPA); USD 744,000 for enhancing primary health care delivery; USD 1.4 million for strengthening of mental health service delivery; and USD 749,000 to combat HIV and AIDS (with UNAIDS) among populations displaced by the cyclone.

IOM donors to date include the UN Central Emergency Fund (CERF), USAID, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Denmark, the Three Diseases Fund (3DF), the NGOs AmeriCares and International Medical Corps, and Chevron Corporation.

For more information please contact Chris Lom at IOM's Regional Office in Bangkok. Tel: +66.819275215; Email: clom@iom.int