The IDAI, together with the West Pasaman Children's Forum, has invited children at the evacuation shelter located at the West Pasaman district head's office to exercise, play, and sing together.
"For the West Pasaman earthquake, we are focusing on handling and providing services to children affected by the quake, both medical and non-medical," deputy head of the West Sumatra IDAI, Dr. Asrawati, said here on Monday.
She informed that after the quake, the West Sumatra IDAI had dispatched teams to several affected locations such as Malampah, Pasaman district, Nagari Kajai, and the main evacuation shelter in the West Pasaman district head's office.
“The teams have been deployed to provide treatment and handle children who have been affected by the earthquake as well as to survey the conditions at the evacuation shelters," she said.
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Especially for children, trauma healing must be carried out promptly because trauma can affect their behavior and growth in the long run, she stressed.
Asrawati said that creating a comfortable situation would impact children's minds, help them sleep soundly, and hopefully influence their behavior.
A happy environment will also help release endorphins, and gradually, it is hoped that children will be able to forget the sadness caused by the disaster, she remarked.
“A fun atmosphere must be created in the evacuation shelters for the sake of trauma and psychological recovery of children," she said.
According to reports from the deployed teams, the IDAI has found cases of children starting to develop conditions such as acute respiratory infection (ARI) and diarrhea, she informed.
In addition, children at the shelters are in need of clothes and nutritious food, she added.
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Translator: Laila Syafarud, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
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