Imtiaz Sooliman – Gift of the Givers on relief efforts in Boksburg

			Share the story and have a look at
the humanitarian efforts which are
		

			now being pulled together to help
the survivors. We're joined by Dr
		

			India Suleiman, founder of gift of
the givers. Dr Suleiman, a very
		

			good evening to you. As always,
you are among the first to
		

			announce that you were heading to
boxburg. How big a team have you
		

			deployed?
		

			Good evening, because God wasn't
necessary to employ a very big
		

			team. There were, there were
several stages to look at. The
		

			first one was working together,
what the authorities and of
		

			course, at the outset, we must
complement the health and health
		

			department, the fire services, the
emergency services, healthcare
		

			workers, the staff and the
neighboring community, who were
		

			exceptional in responding very,
very quickly process those
		

			affected. We follow the system of
working with the emergency
		

			services and see what you acquire.
So at the outset, we offer to send
		

			in ambulances to move transfer, to
transfer the injured patients or
		

			the burn patients or hospitals
they had managed. They were fine.
		

			They done an excellent job. We
then offered medical teams. Of our
		

			teams, our volunteers, were
prepared to come from throughout
		

			the country, burn specialists and
specialists, all types of skills,
		

			were prepared to come from
different hospitals to assist at
		

			that hospital. But even then too,
they said they were fine. Then the
		

			third requirement, which they
asked us specifically, was, burn
		

			shields, burn dressings. Crave
bandages, esthetics, energies. You
		

			have machines to deliver
analgesia, they said they may
		

			require to try special types of
nutritional feeds, depending on
		

			the degree of firms of patients
and what support they require. And
		

			with all those things, the
challenge was to get it done
		

			before 12 o'clock, because today
is the last day where the medical
		

			companies closed, and you're able
to see them around the first week
		

			of January. So we had specialized
medical teams working in all those
		

			sectors, and we managed to procure
all those essential items, and we
		

			delivered a number of them to the
hospital this morning to be used
		

			for the patients. Are you looking
at ongoing involvement in the
		

			treatment of the people who were
injured and perhaps even assisting
		

			people nearby who may have been
affected in other ways.
		

			Yes, well, we don't step on the
toes of the healthcare workers.
		

			We've made it clear to the health
of departments in the different
		

			hospitals where the patients have
gone to and to, or Cabo hospital
		

			itself, that if they require any
backup supplies used as a
		

			shortage, we've procured all those
items. This office still stands
		

			that if they need medical
personnel, in fact, a few minutes
		

			ago, I got a call from the
president of the burn society to
		

			say that if they require personnel
from throughout the country, they
		

			can mobilize. Unlike that, many
medical teams have come forward to
		

			support us if we need assistance,
but the other workers have been
		

			admirable in managing the crisis
themselves. What? And to answer
		

			your question, you know, we also
brought in supplies for the people
		

			in the area, for the healthcare
workers, for the firefighters,
		

			emergency services. We brought in
bottled water, energy energy
		

			drinks, energy foods, fruits, and
all those kind of support for
		

			them. And it seems that there's a
lot of support that's coming to
		

			the community. So not not anymore
is required. What's the besides?
		

			Always support for the patients,
and if the hospital is required,
		

			we do have the medical
conservables. But the main problem
		

			now is to fix the infrastructure
and the hospital itself, because
		

			the emergency department is
damaged, part of the theater of
		

			the department is damaged, and
some of the ICU patients had to
		

			move because they uncertain about
the structural damage to that part
		

			of the hospital, so that's the
priority that has to be fixed. And
		

			those people's homes were damaged,
that is resorted out to. And it
		

			will just take it straight by ear
and see what's required and what
		

			can be done in the days going
forward. And it's made worse the
		

			damage to the hospital, because we
know there's the ongoing
		

			conversation. Has been an ongoing
conversation, in fact, in this
		

			country, about the state of the
hospitals and how many are already
		

			in such a poor state, and now
you've got one damaged by an
		

			explosion, and it'll probably not
be fixed in the next week or two.
		

			It'll take quite a while. No, it's
gonna take a long time. Remember,
		

			it's December. Nobody works now,
no construction companies. You're
		

			gonna come on site. Now, English,
you want to come on site. There's
		

			no workers. It's gonna take a long
time. No, but depends on how badly
		

			damaged. And you know, engineers
to make an assessment, I think
		

			they have infrastructure people
from national health, but
		

			yesterday, also to have a look
around the building. And if it can
		

			be soft, out quickly. We don't
want another repeat of Charlotte
		

			neke, which is still undergoing
repairs, and not in all possible
		

			hospitals. We just cannot afford
another hospital being delayed
		

			forever into infinity, so we need
decisive intervention and to get
		

			the job done as soon as possible.
And what happened today is a
		

			tragedy made worse because, of
course, this was not just any
		

			ordinary explosion. A gas tanker
exploded, and as we now know, of
		

			these nine people dead, dozens
more have been injured. Many of
		

			them have severe burn wounds. What
should we do in the case of a fire
		

			emergency, if we're nearby?
Because when you look at some of
		

			the videos, people appear, or, in
fact, were unable to figure out
		

			what they needed to do.
		

			To even help some of the worst
affected,
		

			there's not much you can do to
prepare for systemic people come
		

			out for good purpose. Whenever
they receive fire you may shack or
		

			water in flood situation or bad
weather or hurricanes. People,
		

			South Africans, by nature, are
those who want to have other South
		

			Africans. It's something that we
see over and over again, because
		

			it in flats. People old people
were sorting in their homes.
		

			People were not divers who are not
sober. Specialists climb into the
		

			windows and pull them out, you
know, and people came to each
		

			other's assistance. People as the
rivers, the water was rising 848,
		

			minutes and 45 eight meters in 45
minutes, people saw the screaming
		

			coming out of the houses to help
the neighbors, get out and call
		

			for boats to take them away. The
same in the situation when there's
		

			fire taking place in informal
settlements, people grab each
		

			other, they have friends, they
help neighbors, they pull them
		

			out. So in this situation, people
saw fire but didn't know what the
		

			cause of the fire was. The fact
that it was close to hospital
		

			makes your body because the
patients are fired, and people are
		

			starting to move towards that for
two reasons, either as unlock
		

			curiosity or to see if they can do
something to assist. Nobody
		

			expected such sudden, but without
any warning, and in that process,
		

			unfortunately, all those around
were affected in a big way. 163
		

			people affected were the burns,
six nurses from the hospital, one
		

			doctor from hospital. You know,
nine, something 11 passed on, 24
		

			to 27 with severe injuries. All
that happened, but people who went
		

			there for one injured when they
would faint and and of course, you
		

			can see the outpouring of support
from the neighboring communities.
		

			It's just who South Africans are.
We stand for each other. We think
		

			that this and we get to support
each other, and that's why this
		

			major disaster happened. Dr India
Suleman, founder of gift of the
		

			givers, thank you for your time.
As always we.