In the days immediately following an earthquake of this magnitude, the priority is to bolster the availability of medical items needed to treat a range of traumatic injuries caused by falling debris, crush injuries, fractures, lacerations and search and rescue activities. A continued flow of primary care items to help keep people with chronic health conditions will also be necessary, especially while local resources are reallocated for emergency response.
Direct Relief is assessing what immediate and near-term medical needs are in coordination with local officials and agencies to ensure efficiency and avoid bottlenecks that can occur when efforts to bring in personnel and material assistance converge in an area with damaged infrastructure.
Direct Relief has made initial contact with our network of health care organizations and providers in Morocco, including the Ministry of Public Health of Morocco, International Office of Migration in Morocco, the Morocco Country Office of Eli Lilly, the Society of Critical Care Medicine, and Foundation Lalli Salma.
