In Laos, U.S. Forces dropped as many as two million tons of bombs
during both the Vietnam War and the civil war in the 1960’s and 1970’s.
Reportedly, approximately 30% of them have remained in Laos as unexploded
ordnance (UXOs) that continue to cause accidents and deaths even today. Xieng
Khuang Province located in the north of the country in particular is an
accident-prone area. According to statistics from National regulatory Authority
for UXO/Mine Action Sector in Lao PDR, in 2012, 31
persons are injured in this province
alone, accounting for 55% of all the victims in Laos.
Below is a report from Noriko ANDO, who has been engaged in
operations in Xieng Khuang Province.
A Nearby “VHV” is Better than a Far-off Hospital
The medical standard in Laos is not very high. In Xieng Khuang
Province, one of the worst affected areas by UXOs, each district has only one
hospital that is able to provide decent medical treatment for victims of UXOs.
There are only four ambulances available in the whole province. To make matters
worse, most of the roads are unpaved which prevents ambulances from reaching
hospitals during the rainy season. Delayed medical treatment has resulted in
higher numbers of UXO-related deaths as well as victims who sustain
life-altering bodily injury. Some victims do not even have a choice
but to give up going to hospitals because of their inability to cover their
medical fees.
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“I would like to share what I have learned with villagers,” said Ms.
Syvai, a VHV in Phounven Village with Noriko ANDO on the right.
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Since 2010, AAR Japan has been providing training of first-aid
techniques to both VHVs (note1) and nurses at health centers (HCNs) (note 2) so
that they can speedily cope with the UXO-related injured on the spot in
villages far away from hospitals. The training includes how to resuscitate, how
to stop bleeding, how to treat fracture and
how to transport the injured to hospitals. We have also urged them to recognize
the significance of mental care for victims after treatment at hospitals. So
far, 385 VHV of 207 villages and 68 HCNs of 25 health centers
have participated in the training. Furthermore, together with VHV of 74 most accident
prone villages, we have provided workshop
on the prevention of accidents and on first-aid techniques, in which roughly
3,500 persons have taken part up to now.
Note1: Each village has one or two VHVs, who are appointed by the
village leader. They are engaged in simple medical service such as prescription
of medicine. This is an honorary position. It is the villagers’ confidence in
and the high level of motivation of the volunteers that have been key to
running this system.
Note2: This is a provisional medical office which is always
stationed by a doctor or a nurse but is not equipped with medical instruments
fully enough. They provide diagnosis, treatment and prescription of medicine to
patients with minor ailments such as a cold and diarrhea as well as minor
injuries.
Stopping
the Bleeding by Using Herbs and Urine
People
Still Try to Treat Injuries through traditional methods
Many of the victims of accidents caused by UXOs who are
transported to hospitals suffer excessive bleeding due to the damage sustained
during the blast. It is essential to stop bleeding as promptly and effectively
as possible. However, many people in villages still believe that the use of
herbs and urine in the treatment of the injuries is effective in stopping
hemorrhaging. Both the use of various herbs and urine causes infection,
complicating the healing process and increasing medical treatment expenses.
Furthermore, improper use of a tourniquet to constrict the bleeding can result
in unnecessary complications like nerve damage and loss of limb. Therefore,
during the first-aid techniques sessions, we have been teaching the proper way
to stop bleeding through hands-on practice with the use of bandages for head
and arm injuries.
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Noriko ANDO (in the center) revisited Mee Village ,where AAR Japan
provided training in the past, to see Ms. Vankham , a VHV (on the left) to make
sure that she is still able to apply dressings on the injury properly
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Focusing Our Thoughts on the Next Challenge
After the training, many participants said, “I have instantly
found what I learned to be very helpful to us.” However, memories of
participants fade as time goes by, and so we revisit the villages after
the training to check whether they are still able to apply the techniques
properly as well as to give them a review
when necessary.
Besides the job of helping villagers, the VHVs are expected to
pass what they learned on to other villagers. However, on our revisits after
one year, we found some VHVs unable to carry out the awareness raising
activities for villagers. They say,
“With only one VHV, it is difficult to provide enough opportunities for
transmitting the knowledge and techniques to villagers.” For the future, AAR will continue
to tackle this problem in collaboration with HCNs in charge of these villages.
In the future, AAR Japan would like to continue assistance so that not only will more villagers
be able to acquire proper first aid techniques but to minimize damage caused by UXOs.
“I’m now confident in myself
after the training,” said Ms. Nead (27), a nurse at Phonekham Health Center in Kham
District.
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| On AAR’s revisit one year after the training, Ms. Nead reviewed resuscitation techniques with illustrated cards. |
“After my participation in the training provided by AAR, I became
able to spread the knowledge and techniques to villagers confidently. Before
attending the training, I was unsure whether or not my knowledge was sufficient
enough.
In my village, there still exist many people who try to stop
bleeding by
using herbs on the injury. Some time ago, there was a case in which, upon the
arrival at a hospital, herbs were pressed into the victims wound which led to
an infection and resulted in an even longer healing time.
I have been extremely busy doing quite a lot of jobs, but have
been delighted to be able to help villagers. I will review the knowledge and
techniques that I learned in the training so as to keep them always fresh in my
mind.”
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Noriko
ANDO, AAR Japan Xieng Khuang Office
After working at a university hospital as a nurse for 10 years,
ANDO joined Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) to work in Laos for
two years. After coming back to Japan, ANDO continued to work as a nurse for a
while before joining AAR Japan in April 2012. “I am glad that through my
activities, I am able to payback the kindness to the people of Xieng Khuang
Province, who assisted me a lot when I was there as JOCV.” Originally from Gifu
Prefecture.
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