Every household is expected to have a first aid kit in case of emergencies. However, in case of a natural disaster, is a first aid kit enough? Ideally, we are expected to know how to respond to medical emergencies. Realistically, we would be better off being attended by medical professionals.
The IMAM Response and Relief Team Johor, known as IMARET, is a team of medical and general volunteers with a mission to provide medical relief to victims of natural or man-made disasters. Established in 2014, the Johor team is made of 76 passionate and trained volunteers who are on standby to offer support in humanitarian missions. Of their total 1,700 volunteers nationwide, over 500 are doctors who are always ready to go – even if it means using up their annual leaves to join missions. IMARET sends employers of such volunteers a letter of support when the time to volunteer arrives.
In January 2017, when Segamat was hit by the flood, IMARET sent three teams made up of three doctors and three medical volunteers each. They also partnered with a 4WD group that sent their volunteers along on each mission as many areas were submerged and only accessible by a 4WD. Their five-day mission brought hope to 1,500 beneficiaries. Hygiene kits were distributed and psychological first aid was conducted. They also assisted the local healthcare body (Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah Segamat) by providing mobile clinics at evacuation centres. The volunteers were accommodated at the UiTM Segamat campus and prepared their own food before travelling to affected areas daily.
That same year, the IMARET SafeWhere (Safe Water Everywhere) Field Water Treatment was installed at Kampung Orang Asli, Ulu Tiram, Johor Bahru, a collaborative effort with Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Johor and the Malaysian Armed Forces, to provide clean and accessible water for the Orang Asli Community. SafeWhere treats about 12,500 litres of water from a lake nearby the village for their use – making it sustainable, cost-effective, and energy-efficient.
IMARET Johor plans to start their own clinic with the assistance of UNHCR, offering a medical service not only to UNHCR cardholders but to undocumented refugees as well.
Winning Iskandar Malaysia Social Hero Awards in 2018 came as a surprise to the IMARET Johor team, as they felt that they were only carrying out their responsibility for their community, as a community. Nonetheless, they are proud of the recognition and are inspired to do more.
