Banda Aceh – A massive world outpouring of aid to tsunami-stricken Aceh had relief agencies rushing to reach survivors, but many are now questioning if the region is "over-aided".

United Nations figures showed at least 100 NGOs have flooded into the northern Indonesia province after the tsunami left a half-million homeless.

Medical teams in Aceh were aplenty – so much so that a Belgian group had to post a note at a media headquarters looking for people it could help. A German hospital set up in the provincial capital Banda Aceh said it had just one patient in its first week.

The rush of numerous non-governmental organisations contributed to early coordination problems in getting emergency relief out, aid workers said. But the sheer size of the response also enabled enough aid to get to refugees and officials now believe mass hunger and major disease outbreaks may have been averted.

This week, doctors from the United States, the Pakistani military, Medecins Sans Frontieres and other groups could be found in Lamno, a west-coast town with 10,000 refugees.

"There is more medical power in this town than any small town in America," said Dr William Moore of the International Medical Corps. "We do have everybody on the planet here in Aceh, sometimes it feels," said Mr Ian Small of relief group Oxfam.

Environmental campaigner Greenpeace said it sent its famed ship Rainbow Warrior to the Aceh coast. A relief group called Global Sikhs said it had two ships offshore.

The Church of Scientology moved teams of volunteer ministers to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. Travel agents offered cultural trips mixed with a few days of work.

"It was the Wild West out there," said a US Navy helicopter pilot who sent supplies to remote villages.

But Mr Mans Nyberg of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said this was "perfectly normal" in such a massive effort. The infrastructure for aid delivery has became more stable, officials said.