A Month in Focus – August 2016
Nigeria – a population with nothing
Yemen – yet another attack on an MSF hospital
France – Providing assistance to unaccompanied minors
Greece – Gardening in Katsikas
HIV /AIDS – Simplifying tests to facilitate treatment
Nigeria – «It is something out of the imagination»
Nigeria
In view of the health emergency in northeast Nigeria, MSF teams are scaling up their
operations.
But, as Borno State continues to be plagued by violence, it is a massive task to deliver
aid. Bama, Monguno, Dikwa... For months, access by road to these towns was impossible, leavingthousands of people trapped by the conflict opposing Boko Haram and the Nigerian army. At long last, it’s possible once again to get through to these towns. MSF has to travel under armed escort or in helicopters.The needs are immense — like in Bama, where 10 to 15,000 people are living.
Displaced woman in Bama (local language)
We’ve been queuing for 3 days now. There’s no water, that’s what’s worrying us.
There’s no food either. We’re all hungry, we have no shelter, and no clothes. That's what we
need. During each visit, the team seeks out the patients most in need of emergency medical treatment.
Kerstin Hanson, doctor, MSF (in English)
They're going out to the camp, finding the children that are in bad conditions and children
that need medical care and those who will need to be referred to Gwangé they stabilise them
as much as possible. And then every week or every two weeks, as much as possible, when we
have a mouvement, we bring as many kids as possible from the camp to Gwangé.
L’équipe va dans le camp et cherche les enfants qui vont très mal. Ceux qui ont besoin de soins,
ceux qui doivent être référés vers Gwangé, ils les stabilisent du mieux qu’ils peuvent. Et ensuite,
toutes les semaines, toutes les deux semaines… En fait, aussi souvent que possible, dès qu’il y a
un mouvement, ils emmènent un maximum d’enfants du camp vers Gwangé.Gwangé is a health centre in State capital Maiduguri. MSF plans to double the number of beds here — 120 at present — as the centre is constantly overcrowded.
Kerstin Hanson, doctor, MSF (in English)
The patients cycle through quite quickly. Yesterday we discharged 14 but we admitted 12
because there was a movement that came from Bama bringing many of these sick children. So
we are planning, we are putting up more tents and we do expect our activity to continue to
increase not only as we gain access to more camps but also as the rainy season sets in, malaria
season is starting and we know that with malaria comes a lot of malnutrition so it'll start
increasing the malnutrition rate
Fanne is a member of one of the families who’ve come from Bama... One of her granddaughters was suffering from malnutrition and needed treatment. Fanne, whose husband has fled to Cameroun to escape Boko Haram, lives alone with her children and grandchildren.
Fanne, displaced woman (local language)
This is how we organize our space. We sleep here with our children. When it rains, I sit here,
and them over there. You can see the holes. When it rains, we sit there because it leaks.
This is where I cook food.
If I can find something to eat, I cook it. If I can't, my aunty gives me some food.When Fanne’s granddaughter left hospital, they didn’t return to Bama. With her husband in Cameroun, and one daughter abducted by Boko Haram, Fanne is just one of the 2.3 million people displaced by the conflict raging throughout the region.
YEMEN
On 15th August, an airstrike partially destroyed a hospital supported by MSF in Abs in
north Yemen.
The attack carried out by the Saudi-led coalition killed at least 19 people and
wounded 24 others.The hospital in Abs has provided treatment to over 4,500 patients during the past twelve months. It was a large facility with maternity, emergency and surgical units. On 15th August, it became the fourth MSF-supported facility to be attacked in one year.