Manitoba doctor goes to Nepal in 1st wave of earthquake relief

A Manitoba doctor is leaving for Nepal, whichexperienced a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that killed more than 4,000 people, with the Canadian Red Cross to deliver disaster relief.

This will be Dr. Douglas Maguire's first chance to travel abroad with the organization, whichhas launched a full-scale relief effort.

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"I'm alittle bit exhaustedalready. It's been quite a whirlwind to give notice, get ready, get prepared, put your life on autopilot and hit the road," Maguiretold CBC's Up to Speed onTuesday.

This comes after extensive training that is mandated by the Red Cross before doctors can be deployedwith the organization.

"I would putit almost at the same level of preparation to be a physician, not quite," Maguire said.

"What's encouraging is that you know that everybody else deployed with you has been throughthat same preparation."

The training includes a weeklong course in Ottawa, another week of field training on Vancouver Island and a number of online courses that prepare doctors to deal with new security issues,different equipment and the need forbeing resourceful.

As Maguire takes off, he heads to Nepal with the Red Cross's "continuously evolving" plan, a day behind co-ordinators that will find a location for the mobile health unit to set up.

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Maguire saidthe team he will be travelling with is bringing43 tons of equipment, which includes a50-bed unit,an operating room and enough medical supplies to last three months.

The next step

Maguire said this was just the next step in a career-long interest in medicine in the developing world, having previously"dabbled in" disaster relief,but this is his first time with the Red Cross.

"I just felt working with the Canadian Red Cross offered a good opportunity to work with an organization that was steeped with resources and with experience in planningand that my time was probably best spent working with an organization of that magnitute," he said.

Maguire said his family is not particularly concerned about him going to Nepal, having been to the country before.

"I think they're all celebrating with me," he said, "forthe chance to do this work."

All relief donations made to the Canadian Red Cross before May 25 will be matched by the federal government.
Find out more at RedCross.ca.