In brief

On the afternoon of Monday 12th May,  an earthquake of a magnitude of 8 on the Richter scale took place in the province of Sichuan. The earthquake flattened villages and cities over 400 square kilometres. One hundred days after the catastrophe, it was estimated that more than 46 million people have been affected by the earthquake, 69,197 people are reported dead while 18,238 people are still missing. Among the 374,000 reported casualties, it is also estimated that more than 20,000 people will become permanently disabled and will therefore need long-term rehabilitation.

Handicap International has been active in China for more than 10 years. Directly after having heard about the earthquake, Handicap International sent an assessment team of five people to Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan. This team visited the four main provincial hospitals of the city and visited some of the most affected areas in Wenchuan, the epicentre of the earthquake.

The first figures provided by hospitals in Chengdu showed that over 80% of the casualties already transferred to Chengdu hospitals were suffering from severe injuries such as complex fractures, spinal cord and head injuries and more than 5% needed amputation. It was therefore obvious that physical rehabilitation support would be needed on top of emergency medical intervention. Experience in similar situations (e.g.: recent earthquakes in Pakistan and Iran) has taught Handicap International that providing appropriate rehabilitation immediately following surgery minimizes complications, and that the chances of permanent disability are reduced.
Handicap International therefore collaborated with two of the main referral hospitals of Chengdu, namely West China Hospital (WCH) and Chengdu Municipal number 3 Hospital (N3H), to provide physiotherapy training, rehabilitation equipment and direct care to the victims. Several trainings were provided by the experts from Handicap International to medical staff and awareness-raising sessions and dissemination of information targeting the community at large were organised. Equipment and goods were also provided to the two hospitals. As a result the quality of care delivered to the patients benefited to hundreds of victims of the earthquake and Handicap International set up the basis of a valuable partnership with the two main referral hospitals of the region.

The first phase of the project described above has been running for three months. After an evaluation of this first phase and an assessment of the further needs, Handicap International has decided to continue its support to the victims during a post-emergency phase that would last for four months. The intervention will then shift away from an institutional focus towards a more social and community-based approach. Handicap International wants to provide further physiotherapy training and physiotherapy treatment based on the experience gained in phase 1 on the project, with an aim to capitalise the recommendations and protocols.

The organization will support the set-up of rehabilitation stations in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. This aims to facilitate access for disabled people to the relevant rehabilitation services and related information and improve the involvement of community members in supporting disabled people in daily activities as well as improve the physical and psychological quality of life of disabled people. Handicap International will also support the set up of community-based rehabilitation activities in the affected areas that aim at the rehabilitation and inclusion of disabled people through a comprehensive and community-based approach to ensure access to health, education and other social or economic services and awareness-raising of the community and administrations at all levels.