“Fortunately, most patients had already been evacuated from South hospital before the RSF raid, and the remaining patients and staff were able to escape,” says Michel-Olivier Lacharité, MSF head of emergencies. “But the fact remains that hospitals have not been spared by anyone.”
“Now, only Saudi Hospital, has surgical capacity for the whole of El Fasher, and we fear for its safety and for the people needing care,” says Lacharité. “It’s the responsibility of the warring parties to spare medical facilities and respect their protected status.”
MSF is supporting Saudi hospital, where wounded are now arriving. Originally a maternity hospital, the facility needs to be adapted to be able to manage wounded and mass casualties, while continuing to provide care for women and newborns. For several days, the Saudi hospital lacked sufficient electricity to perform surgeries, but MSF teams helped to restore the energy supply. We are also helping to organise the emergency room and are evaluating needs for medical supplies and materials. From 10 May to 11 June, a total of 1,418 wounded arrived at South hospital and subsequently at Saudi hospital; 226 people died.
“We are doing our best to provide support but the situation in El Fasher is chaotic,” says Lacharité. “The entire city is unsafe, and communication is often down, making it extremely difficult to move around, evaluate needs, and organise supplies and support.”
“Our staff has also been displaced by the fighting, and some colleagues have lost their houses too in the shelling, so everyone is trying to cope,” says Lacharité.
Fonte original msf.org
