Latest news with #MSF-supported
Barnama
16-05-2025
- Health
- Barnama
Israeli Strike Puts Gaza's Last Cancer Hospital Out of Service
LONDON, May 16 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- The Gaza European Hospital, the last facility providing cancer treatment in the Gaza Strip, is now out of service after an Israeli strike, international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Thursday, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported. In a statement, MSF said the hospital, located in Khan Younis, ceased operations after being struck by Israeli forces on 13 May. 'This was one of the last remaining lifelines in Gaza's shattered healthcare system,' MSF wrote on social media platform X, noting that the MSF-supported Nasser Hospital is now the only functioning public hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mining town cut off by M23 rebels ‘has two weeks of supplies left'
A key mining hub in the Democratic Republic of Congo only has enough essential medicines to last for two weeks after being seized by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. Sources in Walikale, which was captured by the M23 on March 19, say the town is no longer safely accessible by road or air because of ongoing clashes between the army and rebels involving gunfire, drone strikes and explosions. As a result, reserves of supplies and critical drugs including antibiotics, painkillers, and HIV drugs needed to treat hundreds of people seeking refuge in the town, are about to run out, they told The Telegraph. 'The last delivery we received of essential medicines and supplies was January 17,' said Marco Doneda, head of Medicines Sans Frontiers' programmes in North Kivu. 'If things do not change, we estimate that in two weeks we will run out of critical medications, including antibiotics.' An MSF-supported hospital in the centre of the town is currently sheltering more than 700 civilians, who have fled their homes amid the near-constant gunfire and explosions that have rattled the area since the rebels launched their assault on the town. 'This is creating a situation that, from a point of view of hygiene, is not ideal at all, especially for a medical facility. It's impossible to get supplies, because there is no viable road to reach Walikale,' Mr Doneda said. 'We are also at risk because our hospital is not fortified or protected, it's in the middle of town and is totally exposed. On the first day of fighting, we came out of the facility to find gunfire had damaged our cars, and bullets had come through the gates,' he added. Walikale sits atop large deposits of gold and tin, which is used as a protective coating for other metals and in industries including food packing and electronics. Walikale is the Western-most town to fall to the M23 since they launched an offensive on the eastern DRC in January. The group has also captured the two major cities in the region, Goma and Bukavu. More than 7,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more displaced in the DRC since January in the latest escalation in conflict between the armed forces and the M23, which was formed in 2012 and has roots in the 1998 Rwandan genocide. The group promised to withdraw from Walikale last week as a gesture of peace, but heavy fighting has continued in the area. 'These past days, the situation continues to deteriorate. The violence has severely impacted access to healthcare, as 80 per cent of the population has fled the city hearing artillery fire and fearing hostilities,' a spokesperson for the charity said. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
03-04-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Mining town cut off by M23 rebels ‘has two weeks of supplies left'
A key mining hub in the Democratic Republic of Congo only has enough essential medicines to last for two weeks after being seized by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels. Sources in Walikale, which was captured by the M23 on March 19, say the town is no longer safely accessible by road or air because of ongoing clashes between the army and rebels involving gunfire, drone strikes and explosions. As a result, reserves of supplies and critical drugs including antibiotics, painkillers, and HIV drugs needed to treat hundreds of people seeking refuge in the town, are about to run out, they told The Telegraph. 'The last delivery we received of essential medicines and supplies was January 17,' said Marco Doneda, head of Medicines Sans Frontiers' programmes in North Kivu. 'If things do not change, we estimate that in two weeks we will run out of critical medications, including antibiotics.' An MSF-supported hospital in the centre of the town is currently sheltering more than 700 civilians, who have fled their homes amid the near-constant gunfire and explosions that have rattled the area since the rebels launched their assault on the town. 'This is creating a situation that, from a point of view of hygiene, is not ideal at all, especially for a medical facility. It's impossible to get supplies, because there is no viable road to reach Walikale,' Mr Doneda said. 'We are also at risk because our hospital is not fortified or protected, it's in the middle of town and is totally exposed. On the first day of fighting, we came out of the facility to find gunfire had damaged our cars, and bullets had come through the gates,' he added. Walikale sits atop large deposits of gold and tin, which is used as a protective coating for other metals and in industries including food packing and electronics. Walikale is the Western-most town to fall to the M23 since they launched an offensive on the eastern DRC in January. The group has also captured the two major cities in the region, Goma and Bukavu. More than 7,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more displaced in the DRC since January in the latest escalation in conflict between the armed forces and the M23, which was formed in 2012 and has roots in the 1998 Rwandan genocide. The group promised to withdraw from Walikale last week as a gesture of peace, but heavy fighting has continued in the area. 'These past days, the situation continues to deteriorate. The violence has severely impacted access to healthcare, as 80 per cent of the population has fled the city hearing artillery fire and fearing hostilities,' a spokesperson for the charity said.
Zawya
28-03-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Pregnant women face miscarriage and delivery complications in Darfur, Sudan
With only a few health facilities still functioning in Darfur, Sudan, pregnant women face harrowing journeys to seek care. Insecurity, checkpoints, and unaffordable or unavailable transportation force them to undertake day-long treks on foot or by donkey, often resulting in delivery complications, miscarriage or death. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) runs activities in 10 out of Sudan's 18 states, and has been witnessing the grave toll that the war has taken on women and their health in Darfur and across the country. In West and Central Darfur, many women who live in remote areas give birth at home, relying on traditional methods. The scarcity of healthcare facilities, the distance they have to travel, the insecurity on the road, and the price of transportation, often result in women seeking healthcare only after they face complications, putting both their lives and the lives of their babies at great risk. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 70 per cent of health facilities in conflict-affected areas like Darfur are barely operational or completely closed, leaving millions without access to critical care amid one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent history. 'One mother gave birth at home, and couldn't remove the placenta, then she was bleeding, so they rushed her to the hospital,' says Wendemagegn Tefera Benty, MSF project medical referent at Zalingei hospital in Central Darfur. 'The family had to carry her, and after one day of walking, when they reached [the hospital], she had already passed away because of the bleeding.' " Losing the baby was the greatest heartbreak for me". The ongoing conflict in Sudan has a profound impact on the health of pregnant women and their babies, particularly in terms of preterm deliveries. It has left people unemployed and disrupted access to food and clean water. As a result, many pregnant women arrive at hospitals malnourished, which directly affects the health of their babies, often leading to preterm birth and malnourishment. After these babies are born, they are frequently admitted to observation units to ensure their survival and wellbeing. 'The biggest difficulty is how to manage to bring food to my children,' says a maternity patient at Murnei hospital, in West Darfur. 'I was working a lot when I was pregnant and that is maybe why my baby was born weak. Access to healthcare was also difficult but MSF helped.' The MSF-supported Zalingei hospital is the only referral hospital available for specialised healthcare services for an estimated 500,000 people. There is no other health facility managing deliveries in the area. In the operating theatre at Zalingei hospital, our teams perform over 40 emergency caesarean section operations per month. Afaf Omar Yahya experienced severe abdominal pain in her home as her pregnancy was about to come to term. Due to the lack of transportation in Darfur, she had no choice but to travel for hours on a donkey to reach Zalingei hospital. Upon her arrival, the doctor informed her she had suffered a miscarriage, and she needed to undergo an emergency caesarean section. 'Losing the baby was the greatest heartbreak for me,' says Afaf, while recovering at the maternity ward. Women from across Darfur share similar experiences, but the situation shows no signs of improvement. 'Most of the complications we receive are caused by post-home delivery and anaemia during pregnancy,' says Virginie Mukamiza, midwife activity manager at Zalingei hospital. Pregnant women seek medical care when they have post-partum bleeding or sepsis. 'Most health facilities in Darfur are now mere empty buildings,' says Osanatu Sento Bangura, MSF midwife activity manager at the MSF-supported Murnei hospital in West Darfur. 'There's no staff, no medications, nothing at all. Before the war, people had access at least to basic healthcare centres near their homes. Now they have to rely on big hospitals that are far away.' Many of these situations could have been prevented with antenatal consultations and adequate referral systems from basic healthcare facilities, but most of them have been either out of service since the onset of the war, or rely on humanitarian aid, which is widely unavailable, to deliver. "Most health facilities in Darfur are now mere empty buildings. Before the war, people had access at least to basic healthcare centres near their homes. Now they have to rely on big hospitals that are far away". Twelve days after giving birth at home, Sameera visited the Romalia mobile clinic, in a remote area of West Darfur, to have both her and her baby checked. Upon arrival, she was running a high fever and had infected wounds in her arm. Following the home delivery, she had experienced terrible abdominal pain. Her brother gave her an injection to bring down her temperature, but injured her arm. She was in pain and couldn't hold her baby properly. After conducting several tests, our teams at the clinic discovered an infection in her arm. They promptly disinfected and dressed the wound and prescribed treatment. The war's far-reaching effects threaten to trap women and girls in a never-ending cycle of malnutrition, declining health, and maternal death. We reiterate our call to drastically scale up the provision of lifesaving humanitarian aid and access to healthcare in Darfur. Warring parties must grant unhindered access for aid delivery and ease the obstacles that are preventing people from reaching healthcare. The full engagement of donors must be ensured to increase a sustained funding to boost the humanitarian response. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
M23 rebels ‘execute' children in assault on major DRC city
M23 rebels shot dead three children when they stormed into the city of Bukavu in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations has said. The Rwanda-backed group captured the eastern city over the weekend, leaving bodies in the streets and looting as they went, sources on the ground told The Telegraph, warning of an escalating humanitarian crisis. Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the UN's human rights office (UNHCR), said the three boys were killed in Bukavu's Latin Quarter after refusing to put down guns they had collected from an abandoned army camp. 'Our office has confirmed cases of summary execution of children by M23 after they entered the city of Bukavu last week. We are also aware that children were in possession of weapons,' she said. According to the UN agency, the three boys, aged 11 to 15, were found wearing discarded combat uniforms. The assault on Bukavu, a critical trade hub with a population of 1.3 million, comes two weeks after the rebels seized the major city of Goma in a four-day siege that left at least 3,000 people dead and displaced 350,000 others. The intensification in the fighting has created a fresh crisis for the country's overwhelmed network of displacement camps and health facilities, at a time when it is already dealing with major infectious disease outbreaks including a more aggressive strain of mpox known as Clade 1b, as well as malaria, measles, and cholera. The first M23 troops entered the city on Friday, creating an atmosphere of 'unimaginable terror and fear,' said Marcus Bachmann, head of programmes for South Kivu at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). Thousands of residents fled in anticipation of the rebel assault, among them critical healthcare workers. The health system is now 'dysfunctional' because of a lack of staff, said Mr Bachmann, harming efforts to contain the infectious diseases already plaguing the eastern DRC. M23 reportedly faced little resistance from the Congolese army, which had been ordered to retreat days earlier to avoid another bloody urban battle like the one seen in Goma. Although no major armed confrontations occurred between the army and M23, MSF reported 'widespread looting and shootings'. On Saturday, civilians looted abandoned army warehouses, resulting in the 'enormous proliferation of weapons' in the city, said MSF's Mr Bachmann. 'There were enormous shootings in town all over Saturday, and those partially were minors who got hold of weapons and started to use them in the city. There were also clashes with retreating [Congolese army] combatants,' said Mr Bachmann. Both the UN and several NGOs have also accused both the M23 and the FARDC of recruiting child soldiers. Volunteers from the Congolese Red Cross said they recovered more than 20 bodies from the streets of Bukavu. Four MSF-supported hospitals have been treating war casualties in the city, with injuries split roughly 50/50 between gunshot wounds and shrapnel, according to Mr Bachmann. So far, they have treated 58 civilians, including 11 children and 26 women. A World Food Programme depot in Bukavu holding 6,800 metric tons of food was also looted on Saturday. The agency had already suspended its activities for weeks due to the deteriorating security situation. Separately, more than 1,500 prisoners escaped from Kabare and Bukavu central prisons in a mass jailbreak on Friday as the first of the rebels entered the city. The UN reported receiving protection requests from victims and witnesses who fear retaliation from the escapees, some of whom had been involved in high-profile trials for serious crimes. Several of the prisoners were convicted of grave violations and abuses, including international crimes, the UNHCR said. Meanwhile, Goma has continued to suffer the after-effects of the devastating siege last month. Ndosho hospital, the best-equipped in the city, has been forced to convert the facility's car park and canteen into triage centers to treat the 1,500 people who have been admitted since January, Eleanor Asomani, a spokesperson for the International Red Cross, told The Telegraph. 'We've had to organise the car park as a triage zone and then do colour-coding depending on the injuries,' she said. The fighting in Goma has forced more than 100 patients in isolation with mpox centers to flee and re-enter the general population, sparking fears that transmission will be reignited in the area. The M23 offensive in the Eastern DRC began in December, with the rebels vowing to march towards Kinshasa, the capital, over 1,600 miles away. Led by Tutsis, the same ethnic group targeted during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the rebels claim they are fighting to protect the ethnic minority in the DRC. However, both the Congolese government and the United Nations accuse the rebels, along with the Rwandan government, of exploiting the conflict to plunder trillions of dollars of the DRC's mineral resources like gold and coltan that are critical to global electronics production. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
