Wayanad landslides: Medical point, oxygen ambulance being set up at disaster-hit Chooralmala

Emergency medical point with oxygen ambulance set up in Wayanad in Kerala for landslide rescue operations, coordinated by senior official.

A medical point, including an oxygen ambulance, is being set up at the control room at Chooralmala in Wayanad, one of the sites of devastating landslides, so as to provide emergency medical attention to those being rescued from the mass of dirt and debris on the site.

The decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting held at the Wayanad Collectorate on July 31 morning.

A senior official will be engaged as the nodal officer at this medical point to coordinate things. Adequate number of doctors and health workers will also be deployed here. Doctors’ teams from four cooperative medical colleges, including the ones at Kozhikode and Thalassery are preparing to reach Wayanad, Minister for Cooperation V.N. Vasavan said at the meetin.

Arrangements are being made to provide drinking water to those being rescued out of the debris, as soon as they are brought across the bridge, said Revenue Minister K. Rajan. A medical team will also be deployed at this location.

Adequate lighting will be provided at Chooralmala from the point where the earthmover has been engaged, till the control room, Mr. Rajan said. He added that the ASCA lamps (self sufficient solar lamps) which had been brought to the disaster site from Kozhikode on Tuesday had been very helpful in the rescue operations.

Cabinet Ministers A.K. Saseendran, P.A. Mohamed Riyas, V. Abdurahman, K. Krishnankutty, G.R. Anil and O.R. Kelu, Special Officer overseeing the disaster management and relief operations Seeram Sambasiva Rao and ADM K. Devaki participated in the meeting.