DR Malcolm Russell is still to unpack from his last mission in Nepal.

As of today (Tues), he may not have to.

Malcolm is on standby for his second deployment to the quake-stricken country just days after returning from the first as part of the UK search and rescue effort.

 A 7.3 magnitude strong quake struck Nepal this morning.

"As yet we've not been notifified of a new deployment, but my kit is staying packed.

" I'm watching the news to keep up and the epicentre of the quake is close to where we were working - there wasn't much left to be destroyed," said Malcolm.

 Here, Malcolm - CEO of the Herefordshire-based Prometheus Medical Ltd and a responder with Mercia Accident Rescue Service (MARS) - speaks of his time with the first search and rescue effort.

 

AT four-years old, with her world collapsed around her, she lay on a makeshift wooden bed  for eight days enduring pain that left her  unable to move.

An anxious family was all the girl could turn precariously to for help – until Dr Malcolm Russell stepped into her life.

But the Herefordshire-based specialist search and rescue medic had little time for introductions when the two met in what was left of a remote Nepalese village.

The girl had a fractured femur and urgently needed medical care that couldn’t even be considered available where she was.

Malcolm, who had worked on interpretative information from other villagers to find her, immediately organised a  helicopter evacuation to a  field hospital treating quake victims in Kathmandu.

Now back in UK, Malcolm reflects on what might have been.

 “It was surprising to find such major trauma over a week after the earthquake and the poor girl had suffered an awful amount of distress.  We were very pleased to have been able to help her and her family.”

 Malcolm was in Nepal as head of the medical unit that formed part of the UK International Search and Rescue (ISAR) team - 67 personnel and four search dogs. 

Initially assigned to a sector of  quake-wrecked Kathmandu, the team found that most live rescues had been completed – and most dead bodies recovered.

Attention turned to rescue requirements in remote mountain regions only briefly flown over by military helicopters dropping in aid and taking out what casualties they could.

Beyond such flyovers, many of these areas were completely isolated and out of touch with very little – and often speculative - information emerging about the extent of the damage and casualties.

UK ISAR was tasked to an area outlying the town of Chautara - about 50km to the north-east of Kathmandu - where villages had seen 95% of all buildings  flattened. 

“The scale of destruction was incredible.  It was certainly fortunate that the earthquake struck in the daytime on a Saturday, when many people would have been outside, or at least able to run outside quickly. 

"Few were in the larger public buildings and there is no doubt that the death toll would have been far worse in the earthquake had struck at night. 

"Even so, there had been large numbers of dead and injured and it was very saddening to see whole villages completely destroyed,” said Malcolm.

Walking into very isolated locations – helicopters being a luxury available later – the team gathered information about immediate needs - which were mainly shelter, food and water - provided structural assessment of surviving buildings, and gathered data about remaining village populations, casualty numbers and on-going health needs

All of this was fed back to humanitarian organisations and the Nepalese government.

But the team was there to get hands and carried out a number of rescues where victims had endured injuries for days.

 An elderly man with a fractured ankle with open wounds, and a woman with a broken arm - neither of whom having received any help beyond the most rudimentary –share Malcolm’s memories of that week with the thoughts the four-year-old and her fractured femur.

The team returned to the UK when the formal rescue phase of quake recovery was declared over by the Nepalese government. 

“There is still a huge humanitarian piece of work which will have to continue for many months – even years – but it is pleasing to have been able to contribute during the first most difficult days following the earthquake. 

Nepal is an amazing country with remarkably resilient and friendly people, but there has been such horrendous devastation that this small country will need all the help it can get. 

It will take a long time for Nepal to get back on its feet, and I hope people will continue to support the relief work in the months to come,” said Malcolm.