Libya: ICRC supports local medical services

Libya: ICRC supports local medical services

02-03-2011 Interview

Amid ongoing unrest in Libya, the ICRC is continuing to assist local doctors in the eastern city of Benghazi and surrounding towns. Boris Michel, the ICRC's head of operations for North and West Africa, explains what else the organization is doing to help those affected by the violence.

*On Monday, you called for immediate and safe access to the west of **Libya* *. Have you been able to bring humanitarian assistance into that part of the country?*

No, not yet. The situation remains far too insecure and unstable. We're ready and willing to go, but at this stage we can't be sure that we would be able to work in a safe environment. I can't stress enough that the needs of all people affected by this crisis must be met and that the wounded and sick must have access to medical care.

*With whom does the ICRC have a dialogue inside **Libya**?*

We are in daily contact with the Libyan Red Crescent Society, which is doing an amazing job of helping people affected by the unrest. In Benghazi we're also in regular discussions with a local committee of doctors, who are in charge of coordinating the city's health activities.

In addition, we're reaching out to anyone who can help us gain safe access to the west of the country. The ICRC has still not been able to send any delegates to Tripoli or other parts of the west and we are insisting on the immediate need for safe access. We're not in a position to go into details on who we are speaking with, but suffice it to say that it's still difficult to get reliable indications that we could safely enter and work in the west.

*How do you think the situation is going to evolve militarily, and what do you have to say about reports that the opposition is arming itself in the east?*

As media reports show, the situation is quite unstable and it's therefore impossible to speculate on what's going to happen in a few hours, days or weeks. Our focus is squarely on the humanitarian needs and challenges arising from the unrest.

*The ICRC has had a medical team in the east of **Libya** since Sunday, 27 February. What's the latest news you have from them?*

The first truckload of medical supplies, which left Geneva by plane on Friday, 25 February, arrived in Benghazi this morning. Members of our joint ICRC/Norwegian Red Cross medical staff and representatives of the Libyan Red Crescent made a first visit to Al Bayda, which is located about two hours north-east of Benghazi, today.

Hospital staff in Al Bayda said around 1,000 people were brought to their emergency room during the violence last week. One of the ICRC medical staff who visited the hospital, Liv Raad, tells us that the nurses in Al Bayda have been working around the clock to care for the wounded, which has put a strain on them. But otherwise, the local medical staff seem to have the situation well in hand.

*What have you been able to do in **Benghazi** so far?*

We've been able to visit the three main hospitals, Al Jalaa, Benghazi Medical Centre and Al Hawari, and we are currently working with their staff to reinforce their expertise in treating weapon-related injuries, such as gunshot wounds, which require special technical skills and training.

Another medical team, sent by the ICRC and German Red Cross, is due to arrive in Cairo tonight. They're expected to join our staff in Benghazi on Friday and start working to support doctors and health facilities in towns and villages that the ICRC has not yet been able to reach.

There were reports today of airstrikes on the city of Ajdabya. This afternoon, we sent a truckload of medical supplies and equipment from Benghazi to Ajdabya Hospital. This will provide the local doctors in Ajdabya with enough stocks to treat 100 casualties.

We're also trying to figure out how to get much-needed food supplies to around 6,000 foreign workers who are stranded in and around Benghazi. They are mainly migrant construction workers with very few means who are being looked after by a group of local people. We are hoping to put some of them in contact with their families.

*We've seen chaotic pictures coming from the Tunisian side of the border with **Libya** in recent days. What is happening there?*

According to the authorities, a record number of 14,000 people crossed into Tunisia on Tuesday. Our colleagues say that the situation seemed less chaotic on Wednesday than in previous days. That said, those who are arriving are physically and emotionally exhausted. The Tunisian Red Crescent is providing food and clothing to those most in need. They also have ambulances standing by.

Members of the joint ICRC/Finnish Red Cross medical team, which is on the Tunisian border, have been able to meet with medical staff and visit the field hospital set up by the military. The hospital has around 60 doctors and nurses and they are expecting around 20 more to arrive soon. Our colleagues' assessment is that medical needs along the border are being met. The cases they saw were fairly straightforward, such as appendicitis, skin abscesses, asthma and chronic illnesses.

Meanwhile, the ICRC has enabled around 1,300 people in Tunisia who fled the unrest to call their loved ones in Egypt and other countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Somalia and Vietnam. About 800 of those calls were made on Tuesday alone.

*What is the situation like on the Egyptian side of **Libya**'s border?*

Tens of thousands of people have also crossed into Egypt in the past couple of weeks, but the situation on that side of the border is different in that the people fleeing from the east of Libya have faced different circumstances.

Most of those who've come across are Egyptian, which means they're arriving back in their home country as opposed to being in transit. In general, our colleagues along the border tell us that there are adequate water, food and first aid supplies right now. The Egyptian Red Crescent is also providing assistance to those who have fled the violence.

I think it's important to remember that both Egypt and Tunisia have faced their own share of violent unrest in recent weeks and that the influx of people into both countries has put an added strain on existing infrastructure. The Red Crescent societies on both sides, as well as in Libya, are doing their utmost to respond to the situation, despite the difficult circumstances.

We're also working with the rest of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to coordinate our response to the crisis.

ENDS

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