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All hospitals are really struggling - MSF doctor in Sri Lanka
Written by: MSF in Asia
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MSF surgeon Paul McMaster
This blog is by Paul McMaster, a surgeon working with Medecins Sans Frontieres at Vavuniya hospital in northern Sri Lanka which is treating civilians from the conflict zone. Medical staff are still working round the clock and the situation is changing day to day. The number of patients admitted requiring emergency surgery has dropped quite sharply before the weekend. On April 23 we had 44 patients, the first day the figure was below 100 since last Sunday. On April 24, we only had 18. I have had no indication that fewer casualties are coming from the north, but because we have a backlog they are now trying to divert patients to other hospitals. There are still people crowded in the wards, in the corridors, on the floor, with fractures, open bullet wounds and blast injuries... There are many people who have been waiting on the wards to go into theatre, some of them for up to 24 hours. On Saturday, Tim (the other MSF surgeon) and the Sri Lankan team that arrived last Thursday were in theatre until late at night getting through the backlog of cases. I spent the whole of yesterday seeing hundreds and hundreds of patients, examining X-rays, stitching wounds, plastering, getting people on crutches and mobile, teaching physiotherapy to nurses (there is only one physiotherapist for the whole hospital). Today, Tim stayed in the hospital and I went with other colleagues to Mannar hospital, in the west, to see if they can help with our casualties. All hospitals are really struggling. Mannar hospital has 350 beds for almost 1,000 patients and some of them are in tents outside the hospital building. We also drove to Manik Farm today, 40 km south west of Vavuniya. There are now 100,000 displaced people. Bulldozers are clearing more land to make more room and UNICEF is putting tents up by the hundreds. We went to assess the needs and see what MSF can do there. One man who had arrived at Manic Farm from the north a few days ago came up to us saying, "I have nothing, I have nothing." He was just standing there, shell-shocked, just telling us: "I have nothing." I am in Vavuniya this evening and it is pouring with rain so if it is raining like this in Manic Farm, the camps will turn into mud baths. This weekend we have nearly cleared the surgical backlog and the Sri Lankan surgical team left earlier today. We might be getting another one later this week. I've not heard that the fighting is stopping and I don't know how many more wounded will come but we are ready for the next wave, if it comes. We take each day as it comes.
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5 responses to “All hospitals are really struggling - MSF doctor in Sri Lanka”
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28 Apr 2009 10:31:24 GMT
This human tragedy in northern Sri Lanka is getting worse every day,and with an out break of a virus swine flu from Mexico it is hitting the harts and minds of the international societies. The flu epidemic is a natural calamity as it is happening time to time in many parts of the world and there is no way, humans can do any thing till it attack at one place. The human sufferings and deaths in sri lanka is an inhuman sufferings created by armed conflict by a long history ethnic conflict denying the rights of freedom to the minority Tamil community in Sri Lanka.
This inhuman killings and destroying of properties belonging to Tamil community was taking place for more than fifty years starting from the racial riots of 1958. The current condition of these inhuman sufferings have at least changed a little better, with MSF and IRC able to help the victims a little better. But will the UN ,USA and EU will allow to continue these slaughter of human unabated in the so called no-fire zones in the sea coast of Mullaitheevu. With already the UN officials estimates of over 6,500 killed,most of them children, women and elderly. How many of these civilians will die, when the Sri Lanka Buddhist Sinhalese Armed forces complete their operation of arresting LTTE leaders. What will be the end game of this bloodbath as earlier described by alert net,if they don't find any LTTE leaders in remaining civilians. Where are they going to continue their human execution's when the entire civilians in the no-fire zone surrenders. Why is the sri lanka government don't want to allow any independent observers into the no-fire zone except the IRC workers who are allowed only to remove the injured civilians to hospitals. Sri Lanka which is badly affected by the world economic dawn turn request UN funds for refugees, but not prepared to allow the special UN representative in Sri Lanka to visit the no-fire zone and other secret detention Camps where Tamil refugees are held up. Time is running out fast with many people observing complete fasting in many capitals around the world demanding justice for these poor humans in Sri Lanka. International society should act fast and take action to stop this human slaughter immediately.28 Apr 2009 10:33:46 GMT
Tamil IDPs inside the barbed-wire internment camps in Sri Lanka Army (SLA) controlled Vavuniyaa are not only medically underserved, but are subjected to degrading interrogations and there are reports of regular rapes and killings, reveals a well known German writer and Human Rights activist, Thomas Seibert, who recently returned from Sri Lanka after a humanitarian trip, conducting personal interviews that described the plight of civilians kept as near-prisoners under the SLA occupation.
28 Apr 2009 10:34:10 GMT
Manik farm, IS IT A CONCENTRATION CAMP?
28 Apr 2009 10:34:38 GMT
tThanks to Dr Paul Mcmaster from MSF for giving us a brief account of the medical emergencies as it is in Vavuniya and in other refugees camps in northern Srilanka. It is a great service to the mankind by a medical Sergent like him to find time and write a detail days report,so that millions of people like me,who were out side Srilanka were able know what is taking place in hospitals.
MSF has been working in Srilanka's long ethnic conflict for over fifteen years in many parts of Srilanka, and are very familiar with the war situation in Srilanka. That is why his notes end up saying that it is over today with satisfaction, And what ever it will be tomorrow,he is prepared for another day of full service. As a medical service personnel I know he don't want to comment any further. But there is no hope for these poor civilians in the muddy refugees camps run by Srilanka armed forces, for them to return to their own homes and start their own life. It might be for another fifteen years till some time as politicians in sri lanka thinks in terms of human values.06 Jul 2009 12:18:23 GMT
I'm a sri lankan and simply can;t seem to information on how to volunteer