Médecins Sans Frontières Activities: Georgia conflict

Following the outbreak of violence in the breakaway region of South Ossetia and subsequent attacks of the Russian army on the Georgian territory, Médecins Sans Frontières is preoccupied with the situation of thousands of people who have fled the conflict, and is also alarmed at the possible interruption of treatment for drug resistant tuberculosis in programs in Georgia and Abkhazia.

Assessing the refugee situation on north of the Russian border

Two Médecins Sans Frontières assessment teams arrived in the region of North Ossetia this past weekend, where the main flow of people fleeing the violence from South Ossetia was expected. Although numbers are difficult to establish, there are clearly many people escaping from the conflict zone, heading mainly to the Russian province of North Ossetia, but also to other regions within Georgia.

The teams are assessing the needs of displaced people and are prepared to provide staff support, as well as medical kits and other relief items.  Currently, the needs of those who sought refuge in North Ossetia seem to be met by the Russian health authorities and the emergency organisation Emercom. Médecins Sans Frontières will also try to gain access into South Ossetia, which is currently inaccessible.

Médecins Sans Frontières is also present in Georgia and Abkhazia, to provide health care to patients affected by drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). The teams are preparing themselves to provide support to hospitals in Georgia and to evaluate the needs of the people who have been displaced by the conflict.

Support to Georgian hospitals and initial evaluations

Our team in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, will support several hospitals in Georgia, providing medicines for patients who have been injured and burned, in collaboration with the health authorities of Georgia. The hospitals in various regions of the territory have admitted close to 1200 injured patients who are being cared for by Georgian doctors.

Other evaluations will be conducted on Wednesday 12 August, in the internally displaced-persons camps located around the city of Tbilisi. There are three camps in the city and five camps surrounding the capital, of a few hundred displaced persons each.

Our team will also attempt to access South Ossetia to pursue evaluations, but the region remains inaccessible for the time being.

Concerns relating to the provision of resistant-TB programs

The ongoing treatment of patients affected by multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR TB) is of key concern to our teams. Suspending a TB program even a few days can have dire consequences on the health of our patients.

For the time being, the two MDRTB programs for our patients will continue. In Soukhoumi (Abkhazia), our team is still providing treatment to 80 patients in the hospital and in seven mobile clinics. In Zougdidi (in Georgia), where close to 120 people are under treatment, Médecins Sans Frontières international staff have evacuated the city, while local teams remain present in the health structures to provide care. Despite their presence, three patients have already left the hospital, which will probably have a negative consequence on their treatment. As tuberculosis is a contagious disease, their departure may also pose a serious health risk for those with whom they come into contact.

The teams in Soukhoumi and Zougdidi still have each two weeks worth of medical supplies for MDRTB. In two weeks time however, they will have run out of one of the drug molecules (PAS), which will negatively affect the continuity of treatment for the patients.