Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Kathmandu (Agenzia Fides) - Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world and at the same time full of a huge cultural heritage that has been devastated by the earthquake, while the number of deaths continues to increase, currently more than 4000, with more than one million children affected. The capital Kathmandu has become a tangle of streets where thousands of people roam. Tents and camps for those seeking shelter from the rain and sun increase.
There is no electricity in much of Kathmandu Valley, the most populous area in the Country. Children are the most vulnerable, especially poor ones who are at risk of malnutrition, lack of water as well as victims of trafficking, assaults and violence. Thousands of children are sleeping outdoors, diseases spread because of the restrictions on access to safe water and sanitation have increased.
The international community has mobilized even if it is feared that the death toll will continue to rise.
The earthquake has highlighted the lack of personnel and resources for health care. Out of a population of 28 million people, there are 2.1 doctors and 50 hospital beds per 10 thousand inhabitants. So far many of the seriously injured in Kathmandu have been transferred to Bir Hospital, which opened last February with 200 beds. The seriously injured children are waiting lying on dusty floors of the hospital, while hundreds of other victims wait for their turn in makeshift tents outside the hospital. (AP) (Agenzia Fides 28/04/2015)
