HINDUSTAN STANDARD, JUNE 8, 1971
EMERGENCY AIRLIFE OE MEDICAL SUPPLIES
Geneva: June 7. – The world Health Organization (WHO) announced today an emergency airlift of medical supplies t6 India to, help fight the cholera epidemic among refugees from East Bengal,” report foreign and Indian news agencies.
An initial load of 2-i tons of vaccine and other supplies left Geneva at the weekend, WHO said. The total airlift schedule is for 30 to 40 tons of material a week for the next 8 to 10 weeks, it said.
According to the BBC, WHO has, in a statement’ from Geneva says that “3,000 East Pakistani refugees in India have died so far of cholera and gastroenteritis”. The report adds that 10,000 refugees have been affected.
The Director General of the U.N. Food and Agriculture organization said today the 121-nation body could not fully meet requests for emergency food aid for Pakistan and India. Mr. Addeke H. Boerma of the Netherlands said the requests were “beyond the resources of FAO.
Britain, today began organizing a massive airlift of medicine and food supplies for the East Bengal cholera victims in India. RAF planes will be leaving immediately with free supplies of cholera vaccine syringes and other material, to combat the cholera epidemic raging among the East Bengal refugees.
The Foreign Office said this was in addition to the £1 million already contributed to the U.N. appeal fund and 750,000 worth of food aid announced yesterday.
The first of four RAF planes is due to arrive in Calcutta early on Tuesday bringing these supplies Equipment from War on Want for a mobile hospital will be flown in on Tuesday together with 6 tons of medical supplies from OXFAM. Charities personnel and doctors and nurses are expected on Wednesday.
The Japanese Government tonight decided to contribute $3 million in aid for the relief of East Bengal refugees In India. The amount would be used for purchasing rice from Japan. The Japanese gesture is in response to an appeal by the Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi.
President Ferdinand Marcos said today the Philippine Foreign Ministry was studying a letter from Mrs. Gandhi on the problem of millions of East Bengal refugees in India.
The West German Red Cross said today it is sending a relief consignment of 1.000 tents, 15 tons of baby food, medical supplies and eating utensils valued at 13,000 marks (about £35,630) to Calcutta by air tomorrow for the East Pakistan refugees.
Air India today brought in Calcutta 236 packages of relief materials containing Cholera vaccines, syringes medicines and powder milk for the Bangladesh evacuees. The consignment, of milk powder came Australia while the other materials were from the USA it is learnt.
A UNICEF chartered Boeing 707 flight from Copenhagen will arrive tomorrow afternoon at Calcutta airport with 32 tons of emergency medical supplies for East Bengal refugees. The medical supplies include drugs, adhesive plaster, gauze bandages, syringes and needles.