CAR: "The Violence is Relentless" in Bangui
January 22, 2014
CAR 2014 © Raphael Piret/MSF
MSF patients in Bangui's Community Hospital
Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, has been
convulsed by violence for weeks, but most of the city’s hospitals are no
longer functioning. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières
(MSF) runs the only trauma unit in the city, at Community Hospital,
where staff have treated more than 800 patients—most with bullet or
knife wounds—since fighting broke out in early December. Here, project
coordinator Jessie Gaffric, who manages MSF’s operations at Community,
describes the situation:
“Last November, we had already identified a significant need for
surgical care and had begun working [at Community] on December 2. No one
suspected then that the situation would explode three days later.
“That day, we received 120 wounded patients and another 60 the
following day. We were submerged. We had to manage the situation under
extremely difficult conditions. It was chaos. Because the hospital did
not have enough room, we set up tents next to the building to house
patients who needed post-operative care. Over time and as the emergency
continued, we improved the patient pathway, management of the emergency
department and the quality of care.”
“On January 11, following the resignation of former president Mr.
Djotodia, we received more than fifty patients referred by other MSF
health centers located in Bangui or in IDP camps in the town.
“One man came by ambulance. He had been shot in the foot and tried to
treat his injury himself. The infection was so severe that his foot had
to be amputated. Another had had a motorcycle accident. A third had
knife wounds. Patients stream in every day and every case is different.
On average, 20 wounded people come to the hospital every day, with the
flow peaking on certain days.
“Our primary challenges have to do with insecurity and time management,
specifically because we must leave the hospital no later 6 pm, when
curfew begins. Nine expatriates and approximately 50 Central African
staff work in this facility. Of those, some are living in the displaced
persons camps. They cannot come to work when fighting occurs or must
even stay and sleep in the hospital. What is also striking is the
severity of the wounds, whether from a knife or machete. They attest to
the level of violence and its relentlessness.”
MSF has managed both of the Community Hospital’s two operating
rooms until now. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
recently took over one of them. Ultimately, the ICRC is expected to
assume responsibility for the entire surgical department and MSF is
preparing to work in another hospital in the city.
Related:
Tags:Central African Republic,
Armed Conflict,
Surgery
