"We had to evacuate nine times" : Doctors without borders facing a health system in tatters
Only eleven hospitals operate in the Gaza Strip, and only partially. Care is now mainly provided by field hospitals. Doctors Without Borders is one of three NGOs trying to get the Nasser hospital back on its feet. The buildings were at the center of fighting for two months. “The medical wing where MSF had its activity for burn victims was itself hit by artillery fire”explains Michel Lacharité, head of emergency operations at MSF.
Within ten days, despite the difficulties, the NGO hopes to restart emergencies, orthopedic surgery and care for burn victims. A real race against time to be ready in the event of an offensive on Rafah, warns Michel Lacharité. “We are in the process of taking inventories, trying to see what we need and what we can bring very quickly to be able to accommodate the injured.”
Today, the majority of beds in Gaza are in field hospitals. They were set up by countries or NGOs and have the support of the Israelis. “In recent months, we have had to evacuate hospital structures nine times for security reasons, because they were affected or ordered to evacuate, lists the MSF manager. Today we come to the conclusion that the only way to work is to bring a field hospital.”
MSF is therefore also working to set up two field hospitals in the center of the enclave. In Rafah, at least a third of large structures risk being evacuated in the event of an offensive.
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