It’s an alarming statistic, and we’ve all seen heartbreaking pictures emerging from the country. Our International Committee has therefore agreed to donate £700 to MSF to support their very important work out there.
MSF (Doctors without Borders) provides medical aid “where it’s needed most”. MSF have recently upscaled their medical operations in Yemen. The organisation now has around 1,600 staff members in the country who are helping to address the health issues faced by those affected by the war. This number includes 82 staff members from abroad, working in 13 hospitals and supporting 18 more. Staff are now working in 11 Yemeni governorates: Taiz, Aden, Al-Dhale’, Saada, Amran, Hajjah, Ibb, Sana’a, Hodaida, Abyan and Lahj.
Between January and March 2017 MSF staff have seen over 97,000 emergency room patients and carried out 5,826 surgical interventions. Nearly 3,000 children have been admitted to hospital.
In MSF’s letter of thanks to our Club, an MSF anaesthetist recounts her experience in Yemen. On the very first day of her assignment she had to help treat a mother and daughter, both seriously injured by a landmine. She says: “Even when there were tanks outside the front door, MSF made sure that the hospital always had supplies and electricity and that the staff had encouragement and support”.
To find out more about MSF and its work in Yemen please visit their website.
Picture: Screeb grab of MSF’s website. Picture credit: MSF.
