In the first months following the devastating earthquake, RI deployed seven emergency medical teams with US and local doctors to aid earthquake stricken communities and remote villages. RI’s teams focused their efforts on the hard-hit region of the Northwest Frontier Province near the epicenter of the quake. In medical tents and via mobile units, these first teams of US-based doctors handled everything from the initial broken bones and gangrene to delivering babies and treating intestinal illnesses.

By deploying medical professionals with different specialties, RI was able to quickly and adequately meet the medical needs of thousands of survivors, particularly women and children, in the critical first weeks after the disaster.

As the ongoing medical and health needs of quake survivors living in tent camps and inadequate shelters continues to change, RI medical staff and volunteers treat the illnesses brought on by the cold, damp, and unsanitary living conditions. RI’s two medical clinics in Pakistan treat 600 patients each week that otherwise would have no access to proper medical care. A total of more than 5,000 families have been served to date.