16.04.2025 – 18.04.2025, (Weekly Presents)

On March 28, at 12:51:02 Myanmar time, a magnitude 7.7 earthquake occurred in Mandalay, about 20 miles northwest of Mandalay and at a depth of 10 kilometers. The earthquake and subsequent aftershocks caused damage to the buildings of the Mandalay General Hospital, the powerhouse of the entire Upper Myanmar. However, the original patients and earthquake-affected patients were treated. With the support of international medical organizations and donors, doctors, nurses and health workers in Mandalay Region treated more than 400 patients and 800 outpatients with all their might, saving hundreds of lives.

I interviewed Dr. San Lwin Oo, the superintendent of Mandalay General Hospital, about the situation of Mandalay General Hospital and the conditions of receiving and treating patients due to such a powerful earthquake.

Q. . How were patients examined and treated during the Mandalay earthquake on March 28?

A. . Shortly after the earthquake that struck at around 12:30 p.m. on March 28, a few minutes later, we saw a steady stream of people injured by the earthquake arriving at the emergency department of Mandalay General Hospital. At that time, our emergency department building at Mandalay General Hospital was also in danger from the earthquake, so we had to use the other two emergency rooms. We immediately moved to those two rooms and the emergency room immediately responded to the earthquake patients and provided treatment. Although the emergency room is supposed to receive emergency patients, when such a mass of injured patients arrived, I was the head of the emergency response team and the rest of the teams were formed, so not only the emergency department but also all the doctors and nurses in the other rooms immediately rushed to the emergency department and responded to the patients who needed emergency treatment.

Q. . Please tell us about the methods used to treat earthquake victims.