Tokushukai Disaster Medical Assistance Team (TMAT) organized medical relief missions to areas affected by the Touhoku earthquake, and completed its last mission on May 2nd. 5 MDs and 1 RN / NP from JMSA and JAMS' Net have volunteered with TMAT.

Consulate of Japan, Tanzania (JAMS' Net)

 

Dr. Akira Nishisaki, Critical Care Medicine
he Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (JMSA)

 

Dr. Kamal Ramani, General Internal Medicine

Private Practice, New York (JMSA)

 

Dr. Robert Yanagisawa, Endocrinology
Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York (JMSA)

 

Please click 'Read More' to see pictures of TMAT activity from late April with captions by JMSA board member Dr. Robert Yanagisawa.

 

 

We were subdivided into groups consisting of a logistical staff who drove the ambulances, 4-5 physicians, 2-3 nurses, and 1-2 pharmacists. We would drive out to other small refugee camps to deliver medical care as a visiting clinic service. There was no public transportation operating in the disaster area, so people had no means to come to our base camp unless they had a car. Even with a car, gasoline was difficult to obtain in the area.

 

 

 

Each day, the team leader obtained information on the number of expected patients and notified the contact person with an estimated time of our arrival so patients were waiting for us.

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Mobile Clinic

 

We spent about 90 minutes at a given location and saw about 15 to 20 patients. Since it had been 45 days since the onset of disaster, most patients required maintenance care for chronic medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.

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4WD Ambulances

 

We always had two 4WD ambulances to travel to and from the field. Around the disaster area, drivers had to navigate the roads with no signs or traffic lights.