PETALING JAYA, May 12 — Mercy Malaysia needs about RM10 million for its medium and long-term plans to help victims of the earthquake that struck Nepal recently.

Mercy Malaysia president Datuk Dr Ahmad Faizal Perdaus said the plans include funding for health, water, sanitation and hygiene as well as shelter and reconstruction of homes for displaced victims.

“It all depends on the funding. For our long-term plans, we will only do it if we have enough funding,” he said, adding the plans will be for the mission’s last three phases: rehabilitation, rebuilding and preparedness.

Dr Faizal said there is an urgent need to find shelter for displaced victims as  the monsoon season begins next month.

“Many are still living in tents. With the combination of rain, cold weather and high altitude, it could lead to even more problems such as sanitation.

The aid and relief efforts for the acute emergency phase will not be enough going forward,” he said.

To date, 37,500 people in Kathmandu while at least 800,000 people around Nepal are still displaced from their homes, including those staying in dangerous and inhospitable dwellings.

To prepare for the monsoon season, he said Mercy is also looking into water and sanitation programmes, which are still at the planning stage.

“With the current economic situation in the country and our existing post-disaster programmes, which also require a lot of funds, we have to look at international funding to complement Malaysian-based fundraising,” he said.

Dr Faizal said to date, Mercy has deployed 44 volunteers and staff to Nepal, including 18 medical, four psycho-social, five logistics, four trekking, nine media personnel and four staff.

There are 25 people on the ground, including seven doctors, treating an average of 150 patients a day and providing medical, general health care, counselling and psycho-social support.

The field hospital, which was converted from an old school in Ipatole, Shanku, in the Kathmandu district, 15km north-east of the capital, began operations on April 28.

“It serves a dual function as an emergency and trauma centre and medical house.

This is because in the acute emergency phase, the focus is on surgery and traumatic injuries but now in the early recovery phase, the focus is more on medical, child health, reproductive health and public health (preventive medicine for diseases),” he said.

Mercy relief operations department head Mohammad Said Alhudzairi Ibrahim said from May 6, the team has also started mobile clinics, treating about 100 patients a day in the Ramkot and Kathmandu districts.

“Forty-seven per cent of medical cases are for minor ailments such as fever, cough, bites and rashes while 26 per cent are acute respiratory infections and 14 per cent are trauma cases,” he said.

The Mercy Emergency Response Unit team arrived in Kathmandu on April 28, three days after the magnitude 7.8 earthquake rocked Nepal, triggering avalanches and mudslides. The death toll has passed 8,000.

Since their arrival, they have faced logistical challenges, including lack of transportation and poor accessibility, especially to remote areas but the condition has seemingly improved.

“Based on information provided by the local government, all these areas are now accessible. However, we cannot confirm this until further assessment,” he said.