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Democratic republic Congo: MSF treats patients at the Masisi hospital, North Kivu 6th September 2007 – Thousands of people have fled fighting between Congolese troops and soldiers loyal to dissident general Laurent Nkunda in the Masisi region, located in the eastern province of North Kivu. MSF immediately sent a surgical team with 1.5 tons of medical material to Masisi. Since Thursday 30th August, the MSF team has been treating the wounded and has been offering medical care in the hospital of Masisi. "During the days that followed the fighting, we received 50 wounded people, both militaries and civilians," explains Ann Willem, an MSF nurse who has been in Masisi since last week. “Most of these people have now been evacuated to Goma. Among them, a mother and her child nearly died: a gunshot went between her and the child, hurting her spinal cord and the kid’s thighs.” "At the very beginning, the situation was extremely difficult," adds Willem. "Most of the medical staff had fled and we had to start working using the material of the hospital. Now almost 90% of the hospital’s workers are back, the MSF medical material has arrived, as well as an MSF surgeon and an anaesthetist. This is a huge relief for our team in Masisi." Last weekend, the situation was relatively calm and the population of Masisi who had fled started to return to town. Small groups of people came first to check if the others could come back. Currently, about 75% of the population has returned and a lot of people come to the hospital to receive free treatment. The MSF surgeon and anaesthetist have a lot to do. "On Wednesday 5th September, they started working at 8 am and did not stop during the whole day," explains Philippe Havet, coordinator of the MSF emergency team. MSF is now offering free care to a highly vulnerable population. About 200 consultations have been carried out at the hospital. 82 people – including still four wounded in the fighting – are currently hospitalized. "We have already performed six caesareans,” adds Willem. "Many patients suffer from respiratory infections, mainly due to cold temperatures at night and because the rainy season has just began. The team also sees many cases of severe malaria. In addition, 15 children are treated in the hospital’s nutritional centre.” The MSF team consists of one coordinator, one nurse, one surgeon and one anaesthetist. They will soon be joined by a responsible of logistics and administration. MSF has set up a logistical base in Goma, where we continue to organise the transportation of medical material. Given the difficulties of access to Masisi, MSF is using a helicopter to transport personnel and supplies from Goma. “Masisi is completely isolated," continues Havet. "The main road between Masisi and Goma (60 km) is highly unsecured. On top of this, the bad condition of the roads due to heavy rains probably impedes other displaced people to return. We are concerned by the bad living conditions of these people. But we haven’t been able to reach them because of the security situation.”
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