MERCY ACCEPTING DONATIONS FOR MEDICAL RELIEF FOR HAITI QUAKE VICTIMS

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 20 (Bernama) -- Mercy Malaysia is accepting donations to
provide emergency medical relief for the survivors of the Haiti earthquake that
killed thousands of people on Jan 12.

Its president Dr Ahmad Faizal Perdaus said the fund would be channelled
directly to Haiti to be utilised by Mercy Malaysia's partner, Medical Emergency
Relief International (Merlin), whose people are now on the ground at
Port-au-Prince.

"Providing support in this way is much more efficient. Channelling funds
directly to Merlin's on-site team is a better way for us to contribute to the
earthquake survivors without adding to the current logistical bottleneck in
Haiti," he said in a statement Wednesday.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(UN OCHA) recently reported that fuel shortage, damaged infrastructure and
the sheer scale of the Haitian earthquake disaster were hampering a massive
relief effort, but aid was getting through to survivors.

According to Merlin's director of programmes, Pete Sweetnam, Merlin had
sent two teams to Haiti, with the first response team arriving in Haiti on
Saturday and delivering assistance.

The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Haiti killed thousands of people
and damaged schools, hospitals and homes.

-- BERNAMA



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