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Care in the middle of chaos

Staff writerWanneroo Times

As the founder of the charity Backpacker Medics, he was in a good position to help out.

Since founding the organisation in 2012, Mr Burns has made many trips to Nepal with teams of paramedics to provide healthcare and to help up-skill local healthcare workers.

They have also built a medical clinic in Kerasawara, Olkhadhunga District, which was not damaged in the earthquake.

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After hearing about the disaster, Mr Burns gathered a team of six volunteer paramedics and a firefighter, and flew into the Himalayan country three days after the earthquake.

"After landing, the seven of us loaded into the back of a ute with our supplies and headed out into the countryside," he said.

"A lot of the villages that we came to had been completely flattened and hadn't received any outside help since the quake.

"We would roll up, and within 15 minutes we would be treating patients. Then a few hours later we would pack up and be on our way to the next village."

Mr Burns said most of the work they were doing was follow-up care for the injured.

"A lot of people had been bandaged up after they were injured, but then they hadn't received any further care, so we were treating a lot of secondary infections," he said.

About 300 people were treated during the team's seven-day visit.

"The Nepalese people are so welcoming and friendly, even people whose homes had been completely flattened were trying to offer us cups of tea," he said.

"It's just devastating seeing the destruction, the clean-up is going to be such a huge job. The consoling factor is that every little bit of support that we can offer helps."

Backpacker Medics recently held a fundraising event, Organised Chaos.

To donate to the earthquake relief fund, visit www.backpackermedics.com.