Pakistan: In 2011, Médecins Sans Frontières provided medical care to over 20,000 patients in Hangu

A Médecins Sans Frontières medical staff examines a patient in the surgical ward in Hangu Tehsil Headquarter (THQ) Hospital. Médecins Sans Frontières supports the Hangu THQ Hospital by running the emergency room and providing surgical care. © P.K. Lee/MSF

In 2012, Médecins Sans Frontières wishes to continue its free, emergency medical support in Hangu THQ Hospital.

Hangu, 2 January 2012 – Despite the tense security situation in Hangu, the international independent medical humanitarian association Médecins Sans Frontières has been working inside the Hangu Tehsil Headquarter (THQ) Hospital since May 2010.

In 2011, Médecins Sans Frontières provided medical care to 18,914 patients in the emergency room, in which 979 of them were provided with emergency surgeries in the operating theatre of the hospital. Throughout 2011, Médecins Sans Frontières medical teams also referred 460 cases to Peshawar for specialised surgical and medical care. During the rainy season, Médecins Sans Frontières treated 1,526 patients with acute watery diarrhoea from July to October. Médecins Sans Frontières will continue its free, emergency, medical care in 2012, in order to help meet the consistent medical needs in the area.

Médecins Sans Frontières has also established a mass casualty preparedness plan in the hospital, to be able to quickly respond and provide emergency life saving medical care to the victims of bomb blasts, clashes and other trauma cases. On the 22 of December of 2011, following a bomb blast near a private clinic in Hangu city, Médecins Sans Frontières received four injured patients, and immediately provided them with emergency surgery. Two of them were referred to Peshawar for further specialised surgery and medical treatment, but unfortunately one of them died later. The two others injured remain hospitalised in Hangu THQ hospital.

One of the caretakers of injured patients says “If this kind of emergency surgical care was not available here, I think my family members would not be able to survive.” All the medical care provided by Médecins Sans Frontières in the emergency room and surgical department are free of charge, which helps ensure people have access to quality life-saving medical care. “I am only a driver and I cannot afford expensive treatment.  But all the treatment, including food, is free of charge here. So for this, I am happy,” said one of the injured patients.

To ensure the safety of patients and medical staff, Médecins Sans Frontières implements a strict “no-weapons” policy inside the hospital. “The presence of anyone armed could turn the health facility into a target. For the security of patients and medical staff, it’s crucial that all communities and authorities respect the neutrality of the health facility, making it a safe environment for all patients, and guaranteeing that all people have access to medical treatment, regardless of their political or other affiliations,” says Abdelkader Tlidjane, Médecins Sans Frontières Project Coordinator in Hangu.

In the Mother and Child Health Centre (MCH), Médecins Sans Frontières has had one expatriate midwife assisting in handling complicated delivery cases and providing training since May 2011, while the daily services inside the MCH are run by Ministry of Health staff. So far, Médecins Sans Frontières has assisted 134 complicated delivery cases with free of charge treatment.

“With the continuous acknowledgement and support from different communities and authorities, Médecins Sans Frontières is keen to continue our assistance in the THQ hospital, to ensure patients in the area can have access to emergency medical care,” says Tlidjane.

Médecins Sans Frontières currently has about 130 international and Pakistani staff working in Hangu, including 61 staff in the emergency room and operating theatre, and one expatriate midwife supporting the MOH staff of the MCH.

Médecins Sans Frontières is a medical humanitarian association providing free emergency medical assistance to people in need, independent of any political or military groups, in about 65 countries around the world. Since 1986, Médecins Sans Frontières has been working in Pakistan with Pakistani communities and Afghan refugees who have been affected by armed conflict, natural disasters or a lack of access to medical. Médecins Sans Frontières teams are currently providing free emergency medical care in Kurram Agency in FATA, Hangu, Peshawar, Lower Dir and Malakand  in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and in Balochistan province.

Médecins Sans Frontières relies solely on private financial contributions from individuals around the world and does not accept funding from any government, donor agency, or from any military or politically-affiliated group for its activities in Pakistan.