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Medical Mission to a Refugee Camp in Thailand

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 June 2012

Jakov Adler
Affiliation:
Director, Emergency Medical Service, Shaare Zedek Hospital.
E. Bodner
Affiliation:
From the Emergency Medical Services, Shaare Zedek Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
S. Bornstein
Affiliation:
From the Emergency Medical Services, Shaare Zedek Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
J. Goldfarb
Affiliation:
From the Emergency Medical Services, Shaare Zedek Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
D. Englehard
Affiliation:
From the Emergency Medical Services, Shaare Zedek Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
J. Naparstek
Affiliation:
From the Emergency Medical Services, Shaare Zedek Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
B. Norkin
Affiliation:
From the Emergency Medical Services, Shaare Zedek Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
J. Sack
Affiliation:
From the Emergency Medical Services, Shaare Zedek Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
S. Shemer
Affiliation:
From the Emergency Medical Services, Shaare Zedek Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.
D. Weiler
Affiliation:
From the Emergency Medical Services, Shaare Zedek Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel.

Extract

During the latter part of 1979, hundreds of thousands Kampuchean refugees fled from all parts of their war- and hunger-ridden country to the Thai-Cambodian border, thousands perishing from hunger, disease and stepping on mine fields on the way. The majority of those who survived settled in several large villages straddling the border in relative security from the advancing Vietnamese army, receiving food and medical supplies from many international welfare organizations.

Widespread public interest in the plight of these refugees arose in Israel after a television program late in October 1979, and a public campaign initiated by Mr. Abie Nathan, an Israeli citizen. The ensuing fund-raising efforts resulted in 1.2 million dollars, most of which originated from private donations. These contributions enabled the Israeli government to equip 5 medical teams and send them to Thailand, covering the last two months of 1979 and the first 4 months of 1980.

Type
Part III: International Organizations - Planning - Disaster Events
Copyright
Copyright © World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine 1985

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References

Recommended Reading

1. Dahlberg, K. Medical care of Cambodian refugees. JAMA 1980;243:1062.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2. Glass, R. Medical surveillance activities in SaKaeo. Report to the International Red Cross, November 1979.Google Scholar
3. Glass, R, Nibburg, P, Allegra, D et al. Medical surveillance activities at SaKaeo/Kamput/Kao-I-Dang. Report to the International Red Cross, December 1979.Google Scholar
4. Glass, R, Nieburg, P, Cates, W et al. Rapid assessment of health status and prevention. Lancet 1980;1:868.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5. Naparstek, Y, Weiler-Ravell, D, Shemer, J et al. Quinine alone versus quinine plus a pyrimethamine-sulfadoxine combination in the treatment of Plasmodium Falciparum cerebral malaria. Submitted for publication.Google Scholar
6. Peel, Sue. Selective feeding procedures. Disasters 1977;1:179.Google Scholar
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