DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS
Somalia: Rapid increase of injured and homeless with growth of violence
Dr.Wagner Paulon
2008
Teams of MSF that are working in the country offer assistance to people in difficult security conditions
07/10/2008 - The recent rise of conflicts in one of the most populous residential areas in Mogadishu resulted in an accelerated growth in the number of injuries and has once again dislodged thousands of people. MSF is treating the wounded and providing basic emergency supplies for the new homeless.
Regarding last week, MSF treated another one hundred injured in hospital in Dayniile, located in the suburb of the capital. The wounded - many of them women and children under 16 years old - suffered attacks in the head, abdomen and chest caused by bullets or mortars. Many need emergency surgery.
On the road from Mogadishu to Afgooye, where more than 250 thousand people homeless are living in amazing conditions, MSF has seen the arrival of at least another nine thousand people since last Wednesday. Teams are trying to offer them essential supplies, including soap, plastic bed linen and blankets. However, such basic items will only respond to emergency needs. People are completely dependent on foreign food aid
Kenneth Lavelle, head of mission for MSF in Nairobi, is in daily contact with the people of the land. "The situation is terrifying," he said. "Because of the constant flow of people fleeing from Mogadishu, the fields are getting more and more crowded and the already terrifying living conditions are rapidly deteriorating. Families of five people have less than a few square meters to live without an adequate shelter" .
MSF works in the health centers of Hawa Abdi and Afgooye since 2007 and handled more than a thousand children suffering from severe malnutrition every month since April 2008. Working conditions, mainly the lack of security for the population and humanitarian workers, prevent any significant increase in vital aid.
"Despite all the insecurity, MSF has yet been able to do their work thanks to our fellow Somalis, who are running tremendous risks to offer immediate assistance," said Lavelle. "Due to the security situation, we are not getting any supply beyond the immediate need - the need for those who are at risk of life. This includes medical care, nutrition and sanitation. Our response is certainly inadequate if we take into consideration the gravity of the situation."
The team from MSF Dayniile treated in hospital for more than 3.7 thousand people suffering from injuries of trauma since the beginning of 2008. More than half of those treatments were for women and children under 14 years, half of these patients had been wounded during conflicts.
MSF has cared for 6937 children suffering from acute malnutrition in health centers of Hawa Abdi and Afgooye since April 2008, in which 32,982 medical consultations were held during this period.
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