Emergency USA
EMERGENCY USA is a USA based organization devoted to the promotion of a culture of solidarity, peace and respect for human rights.
EMERGENCY USA provides support to projects that offer free, high quality medical and surgical treatment for the victims of war and poverty.
News
BANGUI, Central African Republic
May 9, 2013
"This is just the beginning"
We were asked by the local health authorities a month ago, just after the coup d'état, to get the surgery ward of the Complexe Pédiatrique (the public pediatric hospital) of Bangui up and running again. It had been left damaged by years of neglect and by a war that has hit mainly civilians and the very few services available.
And so here we are. Since the beginning of April we've been preparing the operating theatres of a hospital that's not ours. International and local people, working together.
As soon as we got here, we found mopeds parked in the operating theatre, and chickens wandering around the ward. The "cleaners", brooms in hand, set to work cleaning the walls, floors and every surface of the operating theatre. The logistics managers repaired the systems, studied sterilizer manuals and got fans and monitors working again.
Three days, and then the first patient (with a leg wound caused by fire-arms) entered a room that has finally gone back to being an operating room again, thanks to our efforts.
Over the past month, we've examined and treated mass casualties caused by the explosion of rocket bombs. We've dealt with emergency situations resulting from illnesses that, if they'd been caught in time, could have been treated with just a few pills. We've taken in patients either not treated, or subjected to badly performed operations in the local public hospitals.
Now, in this hospital, you can smell the scent of cleaning detergents. The patients have clean bandages and sheets. Local and international nurses apply the right treatment at the scheduled times. The operating theatre is open 24 hours a day.
This is just the beginning. There's still a lot to do.
-- Roberto
Nurse, member of the EMERGENCY medical team at Bangui, Central African Republic
April 17, 2013
Combat has resumed in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic
There is active conflict near the Parliament, a location in front of the EMERGENCY Pediatric Center, but outlying suburbs are where gunfire and missiles are claiming the highest number of victims amongst the civilian population.
Today, 2 wounded children reached the EMERGENCY Pediatric Center, one of whom is at risk of losing a leg. An additional 11 wounded persons, 3 of whom are in serious condition, were transported to the Complexe Pédiatrique, the public hospital where the EMERGENCY war surgery team has been operating for the last ten days. These include a one-year old girl, wounded by a passing bullet that killed her mother.
EMERGENCY staff have been working non-stop since this morning and are constantly in touch with the Communitaire hospital, where other civilians wounded during the clashes are turning up.
EMERGENCY has been present in the Central African Republic since 2009 with a Pediatric Center that offers free care to an average of 80 children and prenatal monitoring to at least 20 pregnant women each day.
April 5th, 2013
EMERGENY's team of war surgeons landed in Bangui yesterday. Wounded children and adults in need of surgery are still arriving into the city. The hospitals in the capital don't have the surgeons, facilities or drugs required to meet the needs of the wounded. Over the last few days, at the Complexe Pédiatrique - the public pediatric hospital where our surgeons operate - staff from our Centre have been setting up basic facilities, including connecting the operating theatres to running water for sanitation purposes.
March 29th, 2013
Six days after the coup in the Central African Republic, Bangui's public hospitals are recovering their capacity, but are in dire straits: the doctors fled during the assault on the city and they lack medicine and useful instruments.
In town, there are still at least 200 wounded who cannot have the surgeries needed. The Director of Bangui's public hospitals has asked for help from EMERGENCY in order to ensure the surgical activity in town and to provide assistance to victims of war.
A war surgery team, comrpised of an orthopedic surgeon, general surgeon, surgical nurse, two anesthesiologists, and two logisticians, is departing for Bangui to reactivate two operating theaters at the Complexe Pédiatrique, Public Children's Hospital. EMERGENCY hospital will also provide medicine, consumable materials, and all instrumentation required for operating theaters.
March 26th, 2013
FAP: The new First Aid Post in Gardez
"The smell of fresh paint is still strong, the finishing touches have been made.
The nurses stock the shelves, arranging the medicines and preparing the medication trays. Everything's ready in Gardez, the capital of the Afghan province of Paktia, for the opening of EMERGENCY's new First Aid Post (FAP), the first in this province.
Paktia is one of the least safe areas of the country, where there are no other free healthcare facilities: the wounded have to go to Kabul, three hours away by car.
But now another sign with the red "E" indicates a new chance of treatment. It's a sign that's known and firmly supported by the local people.
There were many journeys, contacts and meetings with the local authorities to define and prepare this FAP in the best possible way. Then came the practical work, and finally (as always) the first patient. Nothing serious this time – just a superficial wound: after some medication he's off home.
Tomorrow sees the official opening of the FAP."
-- Michela, EMERGENCY nurse in Afghanistan, March 25, 2013
On Tuesday, March 26th, EMERGENCY opened the new First Aid Post (FAP) in Gardez, Afghanistan.
Gardez is a city of about 70,000 inhabitants, located at an altitude of 2300 metres amid the mountains and deserts of Hindu Kush. The capital of the province of Paktia (one of the most remote and dangerous of all Afghanistan), it's a city of great strategic and geographical importance: Alexander the Great constructed military fortifications here.
There are no hospitals in the city, and the only possibility of treatment for casualties is with a 3-hour journey to Kabul. Now, thanks to our FAP, we can offer first aid treatment to those in the city who need it. We transport the most serious cases to EMERGENCY's Surgical Center in Kabul, with our own ambulance.
After the opening of the Musa Qala FAP in mid-March, this new First Aid Post is the latest step in our project to make our presence in Afghanistan ever more widespread, so that even people living in the most remote and exposed areas of the country have access to an essential right: that of receiving good treatment, free of charge, whenever they need it.
BANGUI:
Coup d'état in the Central African Republic: at EMERGENCY's Pediatric Center, the ward is full
On Friday 22nd March, the rebels of the Seleka coalition (who conquered various cities in the northern part of the Central African Republic back in December), resumed their advance towards the capital, Bangui, where they arrived on Sunday 24th. EMERGENCY's Pediatric Center is the only hospital still open in the city; Ombretta, the Center's coordinator, explains how the staff are working in this moment of crisis in the country.
Tuesday March 26th
"The head of the rebels made his first speech on the radio yesterday evening: amongst other things, he said the situation would be back to normal from today, and he announced a curfew from 7pm till 6am.
They were still shooting today. There's nobody around: those who need to go somewhere have to walk because there's no transport. Our staff come to the hospital on foot too; for them, it's a bit easier to get through the checkpoints because they're wearing EMERGENCY T-shirts and carrying a letter testifying that they work at the Pediatric Center.
There's no electricity yet. We've got a supply of fuel for the hospital generator, that will see us through to Thursday if we use it on and off during the day. The water supply is back on during the night – just enough time to fill the tanks and have a proper shower".
Monday March 25th
"We've been hearing shots since yesterday. It's the looters who are being targeted today: as often happens, this is when the ransacking begins – not by the rebels but by common criminals. We see them passing by, loaded down with TV sets, suitcases, fans ... even mattresses. They take advantage of the chaos and the fear of regular people, making off with anything valuable they find in the homes".
"Three casualties have come in – a child age 2, and two adults.
The child was hit by a stray bullet and taken at once to the Center Pédiatrique (the public Pediatric hospital), but there were no doctors there, so she was brought to us. The ward is full and we're still without electricity and water."
"We're all at the hospital. Our local staff are working extremely long shifts to make sure every role is covered. There are looters and rebels all over the place: nobody goes out. That's not entirely true. A mother arrived on foot today from PK12 (about 5 miles from the Pediatric Center), bringing her malaria-suffering child to the "Italian doctors."
"We keep on hearing the shooting; it's mainly against the looters, who are ransacking the homes of those who've escaped. We go on working: our hospital is the only one still open in the city, and today the children started arriving again.
The ward is full.
Another little girl came in this morning, with a neck wound caused by a stray bullet. But the first patient, at 7am, was a newborn baby who came into this world prematurely, weighing 3.5 lb; he had trouble breathing. Now he's here with his mother, and they're both getting on fine.
He was born two hours early – the two hours needed to get here on foot from their village.
What a rotten birthday."
Sunday March 24th
10am "THE SELEKA REBELS ENTERED BANGUI EARLY THIS MORNING.
Fighting has been taking place in front of the parliament building and around the presidential palace since 7am. From EMERGENCY's Pediatric Center, located just opposite the Parliament, you can hear the shooting and the firing of rocket bombs.
The EMERGENCY doctors and nurses stay in the hospital, where there are still 5 children suffering from malaria. As of last night, we're without not only electricity but also water.
EMERGENCY asks the warring parties to negotiate an immediate ceasefire, respecting the work of the hospitals and the protection of civilians."
Saturday March 23rd
7pm THE REBELS ARE 12KM FROM BANGUI
"The Seleka rebels are at the gates of Bangui. At PK12 (roughly 7 miles from the city), they're fighting in this very moment against the regular army. PK12 is 5 miles from our Pediatric Center. This afternoon we heard the shots from the hospital. We're carrying on working here: there are 5 children with malaria on the ward. In the city, there's still no electricity."
4pm "The locals are saying that the rebels are now 25km from Bangui. There's no electricity today, and we can't hear the French radio station. The city is deserted. As already happened during the crisis in December, people are afraid to go out and won't leave their homes even to come to the hospital: we usually see around 80 children a day, but today there've only been 10. The soldiers are lined up outside the Parliament."
Friday March 22nd
"The rebels of the Seleka coalition have resumed their march on Bangui. At the moment they're fighting in Damarà, 46 miles from here, and the locals tell us that the government troops are already arrayed in PK12, 7 miles from the city. Since this morning, the situation in the city has been extremely tense: people are escaping to the river Obangui, frightened about the arrival of the Seleka. We go on working to treat the children, as always, but we're also getting ready to face a possible EMERGENCY, stocking up on food and coal."
January 16, 2013
PRESS RELEASE: CAR BOMB ATTACK IN KABUL
TEN WOUNDED ARE TRANSFERRED TO THE HOSPITAL OF EMERGENCY
This morning a car bomb exploded in Kabul, near the National Directorate of Security compound. One attacker died during the explosion, four others were killed during shootings with the police. Three civilians died in the attack, twenty-seven were injured. Ten were transferred to EMERGENCY’s Surgical Center for war victims. None of these patients arriving for treatment were in life-threatening condition.
EMERGENCY’s Surgical Center for war victims is the only facility in Kabul that provides free, high quality medical and surgical treatment to the victims of war. Since the beginning of its activities in April 2001, EMERGENCY’s hospital in Kabul has treated over 100,000 patients.
January 11, 2013
Diary from Bangui, Central African Republic
Peace Deal Signed with Rebels
Sent from EMERGENCY Pediatric Center in Bangui:
"signed peace agreements!"
The news has spread quickly in Bangui and the city is resuming life -- though there is still a curfew.
The streets are filled with people, singing, dancing, and sounding their horns raucously. It seems like New Year
"It's over," our guard (unarmed, of course) tells us with a huge smile.
We hope so, for everyone!
January 10, 2013
The Medicine of EMERGENCY goes to the Academy Awards
The film Open Heart, http://openheartfilm.com/ directed by Kief Davidson, was nominated today for the 85th Academy Awards, Best Documentary Short Subject. The Oscars will be held at the Kodak theater in Los Angeles on February 24th.
Open Heart is the story of eight Rwandan children who leave their families behind to embark on a life or death journey to receive high-risk open-heart surgery in Africa’s only free-of-charge, state of the art cardiac surgery hospital, the Salam Centre run by the Italian NGO EMERGENCY. Their heart valves are damaged by rheumatic heart disease, which develops from untreated strep throat. Some of the children have only months to live.
Open-heart surgery – while invasive, dangerous, and prohibitively expensive – is the only option to repair or replace the damaged heart valves and save the children’s lives. There are an estimated 18 million people worldwide affected by rheumatic heart disease and in need of urgent surgery, the majority of them in Africa. Despite the fact that the disease kills 300,000 people per year, the Salam Centre, opened by EMERGENCY in 2007, is the only facility in Africa equipped to provide such specialized cardiac surgery free of charge.
To quote Dr. Gino Strada, co-founder of EMERGENCY and surgeon at the Salam Centre: “One thing is to have the same rights on paper. A completely different story when you look into the content of what you call rights. There is something wrong if my right to health care as a European includes a CT scan and sophisticated diagnosis, while the right to be cured for an African stops at the level of a couple of vaccinations and a few antibiotics.”
Open Heart has already been presented at Docuweeks New York, at Hamptons International Film Festival and at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam.
January 10, 2013 Diary from Bangui
Over the past few days the situation in Bangui has not improved even though everyone is hoping for negotiations. Last night at 1 o’clock we heard continuous shots: the press is not reporting this and our staff says those shots were related to the curfew by the patrol. Today a demonstration by the President’s supporters is scheduled across the city. On a positive note, the gas supply is back. However we continue maintaining a supply of charcoal to be safe should the situation change again.
January 3, 2013
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC REBELS HALT ADVANCE ON BANGUI - BBC News
"Rebel forces in the Central African Republic say they have halted their offensive on the capital, Bangui, and will take part in peace talks." Read the full article.
January 3, 2013 Diary from Bangui
A curfew remains in effect in Bangui from 7pm to 5am, but the situation seems more stable pending the negotiations scheduled for January 10th 2013. Activities at the EMERGENCY Pediatric Center, which has been operational since 2009, are returning to normal after several days of low turnout due to patients’ fears of leaving their homes. This morning, upon opening the doors, there were 75 children waiting to be seen. EMERGENCY's hospital has run out of fuel, but it seems that gas supplies will resume next week, meanwhile, the Center continues to cook with charcoal and stocks up on food and coal to ensure there are meals for the patients.
December 31, 2012 - Evening
"The city is still quiet, like a desert. Shops are only open in the morning and we are storing more and more food because we cannot afford to run out of it. Every day we top up the fuel as we are told that at north, where the rebels have arrived, gas is no longer available. We had to provide our staff with signed letters indicating they are medical staff and work in our hospital in order to facilitate their access to the city. Check points are everywhere: one of our colleagues has been stopped 15 times before he could reach the hospital."
Ombretta, medical coordinator in Bangui
December 31, 2012 - Morning
"Last night we heard some shots. This morning we were told those were random shots during patrolling. The city is surveilled by government troops and we don't have any update on the rebel approaching Bangui. A curfew from 7pm to 5am is compulsory and this has an impact on the arrival time of our patients. Only one kid arrived last night with a serious anemia and bad health conditions caused by untreated malaria. These days everyone is afraid of leaving their homes. Unfortunately, this kid didn't make it, despite all our efforts."
Ombretta, medical coordinator in Bangui
December 30, 2012
"Last night we heard prayers, singing and drums until 4am this morning. The rebels have taken Sibut. Local sources say they are approaching Damara', where South African military troops and the Chadian contingent are located. Damara' is 70km away from Bangui. The city is deserted. Patrolling is more intense and as of today, a curfew is in effect from 7pm to 5am. Several international staff have left the hospital following latest news. However, we had a meeting to discuss our position and decided to stay despite the difficult situation. The local staff ensured us that EMERGENCY is the only NGO that provides healthcare free of charge and the population will not forget it."
Ombretta, medical coordinator in Bangui
December 28, 2012
PRESS RELEASE: CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: THE REBELS ARE MOVING TOWARDS THE CAPITAL BANGUI.
EMERGENCY MEDICAL STAFF CONTINUE MEDICAL ACTIVITIES
The group of rebels - called Saleka - is two hours away from the capital Bangui. EMERGENCY medical staff continue working at the Pediatric Center in Bangui, opened in 2009 in a location in front of the Parliament building.
Ombretta Pasotti, medical coordinator at the hospital, a pediatrician, a logistician and approximately 70 local staff tell us: "In the past few days we have seen protests, demonstrations and intense patrolling in the capital. The city is deserted -- many foreigners have left. Food prices are increasing exponentially and gas supplies are decreasing too because the transport of fuel from Cameroon, the main gas supplier, is suspended for security reasons. Our hospital is still crowded with patients despite reduced arrivals from outside the city. We have noticed that children arrive in very poor conditions because families wait until the very last minute before facing the journey to get to the hospital."
Since mid December the Saleka group has taken several cities in the north and is headed towards the capital. Seleka - an alliance of three separate groups - accuses the government of failing to honor a 2007 peace agreement under which fighters who laid down their arms were to be paid.
Press release issued on 18th June 2012
EMERGENCY SENDS MOBILE OUTPATIENT CLINIC TO CARPI
The Italian NGO EMERGENCY sends a medical team to provide essential healthcare services to people in Carpi (Modena), an area of northern Italy severely affected by recent earthquake.
Monday, June 18th, 2012: In response to requests made by several communities with serious damage to local infrastructure caused by recent earthquakes, EMERGENCY sent its specialized mobile clinic or "polibus" and team to address two important unmet needs: few remaining intact and adequately equipped medical facilities, and provision of healthcare to immigrants – a segment of the affected region’s population that is particularly vulnerable.
The earthquake damaged numerous healthcare facilities in the area rendering them unfit for use. As a result, many people unable to travel to reach unaffected provinces are not getting medical attention. EMERGENCY’s mobile clinic is ideally suited to respond since it is self-contained and fully equipped to provide quality assistance. The mobile clinic’s design offers comfortable conditions, providing welcome relief for patients dealing with the disaster.
The area is home to many immigrants so there is a need for linguistic and cultural mediation to support adequate assistance to this population that is marginalized from many basic services. EMERGENCY includes trained cultural mediators in their mobile clinic teams so they are ideally prepared to facilitate communication and culturally appropriate provision of quality care for foreign patients.
Thus far, EMERGENCY’s mobile clinic has assisted patients at the Civil Protection camp run by the Basilicata region, as well as to people living in self-managed camps. The mobile clinic team has also offered logistical support to local doctors whose clinics were damaged by the earthquake.
EMERGENCY
Milan, 18th June, 2012
The Kabul Hospital That Treats All Sides
“A patient is a patient. This is our rule.”
The following is EMERGENCY USA's Letter to the Editor in reference to the May 20th, 2012 New York Times Magazine cover article by Luke Mogelson.
Thank you for Mogelson’s article focusing on EMERGENCY’s work in Afghanistan. The complexities faced by agencies working to sustain and repair the war-wounded lives and communities are starkly revealed in each personal story … stories too often left untold. Writing about war is hard, and realizing the consequences that Afghans live every day is heartbreaking. In contemporary warfare, 90% of victims are noncombatants; one in three is a child.
Against the backdrop of war’s destruction, EMERGENCY’s medical teams in the field and community of volunteers are together activists promoting healthcare and respect for the dignity of human life. Since 2008, EMERGENCY USA has responded in a concerted effort, garnering a national team of volunteers to further the work worldwide. We proudly support EMERGENCY’s life-saving programs--in effect, promoting a culture of peace and hope through access to exemplary free-of-charge healthcare.
Graziella B. Costanzo
Vice-President
EMERGENCY USA Life Support for Civilian Victims of War and Poverty
www.emergencyusa.org
April 10th, 2012
Hello from Sierra Leone!
I'm honored to be here in Sierra Leone representing you and our many fellow EMERGENCY USA supporters!
Eric Talbert and Dr. Ed Newton in front of the OPD (ER) at the Surgical Center
I am traveling in the company of EMERGENCY USA Medical Advisory Council member, Dr. Ed Newton, a physician who has joined me to conduct a medical evaluation. Ed recently transitioned from his role as Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Southern California - Los Angeles County Hospital, to focus on teaching, research, clinical practice, and international humanitarian work.
We arrived in a bustling Freetown whose roads were filled with people celebrating on a cool and cloudy Sunday night. We left California on a hot Saturday morning and three planes, two buses and one boat ride ago -- a trip that altogether took twenty-five hours.
The warm welcome at the international house was truly a joyful destination finally reached. The "Happy Easter" greetings were quickly followed by the news that five people had just arrived at EMERGENCY's hospital, badly injured in an automobile accident. Ed and I jumped into the car with the medical coordinator, Luca, to drive the short distance from the house to the hospital where we dropped off Marco, a young surgeon from Italy, so that he could begin working with the local staff and with Paolo, another Italian surgeon, to care for the injured. No surprise that despite Sunday being a holiday the EMERGENCY hospital was open and busy providing high-standard medical and surgical care free of charge.
Entrance to EMERGENCY's Surgical Center in Goderich, Sierra Leone
On Monday, Ed and I spent several hours with Luca, who is the medical coordinator who helped to open this hospital over ten years ago. We met many people hard at work, in addition to patients being treated at the 100-bed hospital. Among these patients was Kelvin, a tall and thin teenager who overcame his pain to smile and wave to greet us. He had received cardiac surgery at the Salam Center in Sudan two years ago, as well as another more-recent operation here at the surgical center last year. He is now back for treatment for malaria. Without EMERGENCY's life-saving services Kelvin would very likely never have received medical attention for these treatable conditions.
After seeing the entire hospital, we were then shown the new section that is currently under construction and is expected to open this July. This is a large and beautiful building that will house three new operating rooms, a guesthouse for fourteen, as well as other facilities.
The Central Sterile Supplies Department (CSSD) equipment that EMERGENCY USA is in the process of purchasing will be housed in the first and largest of the new operating rooms. The suitcases of medical supplies I brought from MedShare have been given to the supplies people and will start being used for patient care tomorrow.
Please enjoy the pictures that I include in this message, and I look forward presenting more information upon my return.
If you or anyone you know is interested in hosting a presentation in your home or community please email me at eric.talbert@emergencyusa.org. I'll provide here below my current travel schedule and welcome you to inquire for updates.
Washington DC - April 28th to May 2nd
New York City - May 3rd to May 8th
Colorado - May 18th to May 22nd
Chicago - May 25th to May 30th
Boston - June 1st to June 3rd
LA - June TBD
San Francisco - June 22nd to June 30th
Thank you for your ongoing support on EMERGENCY USA!
In Solidarity,
Eric
Eric Talbert Executive Director
info@emergencyusa.org
Construction of new building at the Surgical Center
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PRESS RELEASE
March 26, 2012: BOMBINGS IN HELMAND, AFGHANISTAN:
EMERGENCY URGES THAT THE WOUNDED HAVE ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE
NATO forces have been bombing the village of Mirbandao, in Helmand Province, Southern Afghanistan, for days now.
EMERGENCY runs a hospital for war victims in Lashkar-gah and three First Aid Posts within the province. Neither the hospital nor the First Aid Post in Grishk – the nearest one to the area which is under air raid – has received wounded patients so far.
Local inhabitants have informed EMERGENCY staff that the area is encircled by military roadblocks preventing injured people from leaving the battle zone.
This is not only an open violation of the International Humanitarian Law, but also an offense to our civil conscience.
Therefore EMERGENCY urges the immediate opening of a humanitarian corridor, in order to guarantee the safe evacuation of civilians and urgently needed referral of the wounded for medical treatment.
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FRANCESCO AZZARÀ IS FREE
Today, at 4 PM, we received confirmation that Francesco Azzarà was released.
Francesco was kidnapped on the 14th of August in Nyala, South Darfur, where he was working as a logistician at EMERGENCY's Paediatric center.This is a joyful day for EMERGENCY. We want to share our happiness with Francesco, with his family who has shown a strong will and great trust in our work and the Sudanese authorities' work during the last 124 days, as well as with everyone - citizens and institutions - who expressed their solidarity to Francesco, his family and their support of EMERGENCY's work.
EMERGENCY wants to thank the Sudanese authorities who worked for Francesco's release. In this moment of relief, EMERGENCY thinks of all the people - from Italy or other countries - still held hostage.
EMERGENCY
Milan, 16th December, 2011
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EMERGENCY USA's Shipment of Medical Supplies Arrives in Kabul
A successful finale for the Bridging the Miles to Afghanistan Campaign
August 23rd, 2011: Cause for celebration! The EMERGENCY USA shipment of medical supplies has arrived at the EMERGENCY Surgical Center in Kabul, Afghanistan. The container has completely cleared customs in Afghanistan, and the supplies are currently being put to use in the Kabul Surgical Center and distributed to the other EMERGENCY Hospitals in Anabah and Lashkar-gah, as well as its First Aid Posts, and the Anabah Maternity Hospital.
The vision of the Bridging the Miles to Afghanistan campaign will be brought to reality as these supplies and equipment in the hands of the clinical personnel, doctors, nurses of the EMERGENCY programs, reach the patients who are treated there.
Our heartfelt appreciation to the volunteers, supporters, donors and to our partners at MedShare International.
The shipping container arrives at the EMERGENCY Surgical Center in Kabul, Afghanistan.
The Patients and Staff of the EMERGENCY Hospital in Kabul pause for a photograph as the container is opened.
One more photo as the shipping container is unloaded and the supplies and equipment prepared for use: providing high-standard, medical, surgical, and rehabilitative care for civilian victims of war.
EMERGENCY aid worker kidnapped in Sudan
Thursday, August 18th: Four days after the kidnapping of EMERGENCY employee Francesco Azzarà in Nyala, capital of South Darfur, nobody has yet claimed responsibility for the act nor asked for a ransom. Inaccurate reports to the contrary were released by some Italian newspapers on Wednesday.
Francesco, a logistician of the EMERGENCY Paediatric centre in Nyala, was taken on the 14th of August in the afternoon, while he was in a car heading for the city’s airport.
EMERGENCY continues to follow developments in the situation and is working for the release of Francesco, in close cooperation with Sudanese authorities and the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
EMERGENCY is asking for immediate release of Francesco Azzarà and remains open to collaborating with all who are able to contribute toward a positive solution of this matter as soon as possible.
Sunday August 14th, 2011: at 5:00 PM local time, an EMERGENCY aid worker was kidnapped by unknown people in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, while he was in a car traveling to the city's airport.
Francesco Azzarà, age 34, was working on his second mission as a logistician at the EMERGENCY Pediatric Center in Nyala, which originally opened in July 2010.
EMERGENCY immediately activated by informing its contacts in Darfur and Khartoum in addition to bringing the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs up to date. An EMERGENCY team is following the developments of the situation, remaining in constant contact with Azzarà's family as well as the Sudanese and Italian authorities.
EMERGENCY asks for the immediate release of Francesco Azzarà and seeks support from everyone able to contribute toward a positive solution of this matter as soon as possible.
June 30, 2011: For Immediate Release
Milan, Italy - June 30, 2011
EMERGENCY’S INTERVENTION IN MISURATA IS FINISHED
A team from EMERGENCY - composed of a surgeon, an anaesthetist, three nurses and a logistician – have been in Misurata since May 12 by request of the local health authorities to start up the activities of the Zarrok Field Hospital.
After having organized the structure: a camp hospital endowed with an emergency department, an operating theater, a 50 bed in-patient unit, 1 intensive care unit ward, laboratories and an X-ray room, EMERGENCY has been training the local staff in basic nursing service.
There is an extreme shortage of expert nurses in Misurata, and the ones that were there were mainly foreigners who went back to their home country when the war started.
The clinical activities started on May 26, and, since then, EMERGENCY’s team has assisted more than 260 people, mainly war victims, being in-patients or first aid emergencies.
After starting up the hospital, EMERGENCY’s team finished, on June 21, its second mission in Misurata, in accordance with the local health authorities.
EMERGENCY’s first intervention started on April 10 at the Hikmat hospital, during the most dramatic days of the siege of Misurata. It ended on April 25, when the hospital’s healthcare supervision committee gave the order to evacuate because the minimum safety conditions for both patients and humanitarian operators couldn’t be guaranteed.
For further information contact:
EMERGENCY USA
1016 Lincoln Blvd, Suite 211
San Francisco, CA 94129
Telephone: 1-888-501-3872
Email: info@emergencyusa.org
June 7, 2011: For Immediate Release
Milan, Italy - June 7, 2011
An EMERGENCY team is back in Misurata, Libya
On May 12th, an EMERGENCY team returned to Misurata. The team is composed of a surgeon, an anesthetist, three nurses--one of which is for the operating theater--and a logistician. All are working at the Zarrok Field Hospital, a camp hospital with an emergency department, an operating theater, a fifty-bed in-patients' ward, two intensive care unit beds, laboratories and an X-ray room.
EMERGENCY directly manages the hospital, which includes thirty local doctors and nurses. The clinical activities started on May 28th, after a period dedicated to organizing and training the national staff. EMERGENCY's team guarantees assistance to the war victims and training of the local staff in collaboration with other health facilities in Misurata.
Mohammad is among the first in-patients. He was injured in both of his feet in Dafnia, a city where fighting is still going on, about 40 kilometers from the hospital. Essam, 25 years, has deep wounds in his right knee, thigh and forearm. Alfatori has fragment injuries in his arm, left hand and on his side.
The situation in Misurata is in continual evolution and EMERGENCY is investigating possible developments of its intervention on the basis of the new needs of the population.
EMERGENCY's original medical team had to leave Misurata on April 25th, when the hospital in which they had been working since April 10th had become a target of the fighting and safety conditions for both patients and humanitarian operators couldn't be guaranteed.
For further information contact:
EMERGENCY USA
1016 Lincoln Blvd, Suite 211
San Francisco, CA 94129
Telephone: 1-888-501-3872
Email: info@emergencyusa.org
April 25, 2011: For Immediate Release
Milan, Italy - April 25, 2011
Bombs Don't Protect Civilians, the Massacre Continues in Misurata, EMERGENCY is Forced to Leave the Country
Bombs can never protect civilians: sure enough they haven't proved effective in protecting the population of Misurata. The city, under siege and bombed for more than two months, went through heavy attacks in the last 24 hours that have flattened highly populated neighborhoods, this is also due to the use of medium-range ballistic missiles.
Once again the fighting is at the civilian population's own expense. On Saturday and Sunday, 200 injured and more than 60 dead reached the hospital of Hikmat, where the surgical team of EMERGENCY has been working since April 10th.
Heavy fighting has drawn close to the hospital in the last few days. The hospital, its patients and the doctors treating them, have become a target of this war. For this reason, on Monday April 25th, the order to evacuate was received. The seven members of EMERGENCY's team are now in Malta, where they will wait until allowed to take up their humanitarian intervention in Libya again.
Misurata reveals once again the true face of war, that in which civilians and humanitarian operators are left without any form of protection.
EMERGENCY asks the United Nations to negotiate a ceasefire and to grant a humanitarian corridor to bring help to the civilian population.
For further information contact:
EMERGENCY USA
1016 Lincoln Blvd, Suite 211
San Francisco, CA 94129
Telephone: 1-888-501-3872
Email: info@emergencyusa.org
April 22, 2011
Diary from Misurata
By Antonio Molinari - EMERGENCY's logistician
The youngest victim of this conflict has arrived in the hospital today. She is 10 months old, wrapped in a blanket, she was hit by a metal splinter which fractured her humerus (upper arm bone). Luckily her condition is not serious: her shoulder is going to be put into plaster and she will be fine soon.
There is a small crowd outside the hospital office: Egyptians, Filipinos, but also Libyan people are waiting to call home. The hospital director has put an Internet point in the office at the disposal of the people living in the area to allow them to communicate with distant relatives.
Misurata is trapped in a communications black out, it has been going on for two months now, and many families beyond the border are still waiting for news.
Two injured boys reach the hospital: they are Libyan, aged 18 and 20, and they belong to Gaddafi's army. They are treated as all other injured who have arrived during these days. They are stabilized in the first aid tent and then later moved to the wards.
In this terribly brutal war, this act appears to me as a signal of civility and respect of fundamental human rights.
April 18, 2011: For Immediate Release
Milan, Italy - April 18, 2011
Stop the Massacre and Guarantee Treatment to Victims in Misurata
Since April 10, 2011 EMERGENCY's doctors and nurses are the only international team operating in Misurata, the city which has been under siege for almost two months and where there is the highest number of injured in the Libyan war.
During the last week we have witnessed an increasing massacre of civilians due to the intensification of fighting which is getting closer and closer to the area of the Hikmat hospital where we work. The situation is one of extreme danger also for our staff which might not be able to treat the injured any longer.
On April 16th only, 70 injured, hit by bombs, bullets and by a sniper positioned in the vicinity, have reached the hospital. 15 people arrived dead at the emergency unit, among which 6 children hit in the head by precision rifles.
EMERGENCY points out that "protection of civilians and civilian populated areas" are indicated as a priority in the UN Security Council Resolution n.1973 of March 17, 2011. But, despite that, there is no form of protection for the population in Misurata at present.
EMERGENCY reasserts its neutral and purely humanitarian position in the ongoing conflict and it confirms its availability, where necessary, to send a team of surgeons to treat injured also in the areas which are under the control of the government, and it has been already communicated in official form to the Libyan authorities at the beginning of the conflict.
Therefore EMERGENCY urgently asks all parts involved in the conflict to negotiate an immediate cease-fire, to respect the neutrality and inviolability of hospitals and to open a humanitarian corridor in Misurata to guarantee the possibility of timely treatment to civilians under safe conditions.
For further information contact:
EMERGENCY USA
1016 Lincoln Blvd, Suite 211
San Francisco, CA 94129
Telephone: 1-888-501-3872
Email: info@emergencyusa.org
April 17, 2011
Diary from Misurata
By Antonio Molinari - EMERGENCY's logistician
We woke up to the news that remains of cluster bombs were found in the center of Misurata.
It seems that Gaddafi's army started to throw them on some areas of the city since yesterday. This is terrible news. We know the effects of cluster bombs very well because they have been widely used in Afghanistan.
Cluster bombs, when unexploded, are like anti-personnel mines: they are like soldiers, always on the spot, waiting for somebody to step over them. We noticed an increase in blast injuries yesterday; the use of cluster could be a reason.
An ambulance arrives to the first-aid tent at 17:40 with a baby girl aged 3. Her head is pierced by a bullet.
Paolo, our anaesthetist, tries to reanimate her, but we know since the beginning that there is little hope. She dies at 18:30.
Three local nurses burst in tears: it is the umpteenth failure of a world which cannot escape the logic of war.
Many patients arrive already dead; they are recomposed and brought to the cemetery.
Everybody, relatives and other people around, start an accompaniment choir while following the coffin.
Allah akbar - God is great.
It thunders into the narrow corridors of this hospital and, inexorably, it beats the disastrous time of this war.
April 13, 2011
Diary from Misurata
Misurata, Libya April 13, 2011
By Paolo Grosso - EMERGENCY’s anesthetist
Gaddafi's troops have bombed the commercial harbour this morning. We have heard that 23 people were killed.
It is the first time that they have hit that area.
In the meanwhile we hear airplanes flying over the city and heavy bombing not far from us. Another black column of smoke rises up from the usual place: Tripoli Street.
The first injured arrive at about 10:00 AM. They will be 47 by the end of the day, of which 10 in serious conditions.
8 are dead, among which a one and a half year old baby girl.
The desperation of the relatives is excruciating.
I think of what I witnessed in Afghanistan and of the composure of the victims’ families: war has been going on there for thirty years, and sudden death due to fighting or bombing is something that is taken into account. It is terrible, but it is part of the country’s daily life.
A three-year-old girl reaches the hospital in the afternoon. She has burned herself with an electric wire. She would have been promptly operated under other circumstances, but there are other emergencies these days, so her surgery has to be put on hold.
The second floor of this hospital hosts the obstetrics and gynecology ward. Its activity has been stopped and all available spaces have been dedicated to war victims.
Nowadays, in Misurata, there is no place to be born.
For further information contact:
EMERGENCY USA
1016 Lincoln Blvd, Suite 211
San Francisco, CA 94129
Telephone: 1-888-501-3872
Email: info@emergencyusa.org
April 11, 2011: For Immediate Release
Libya: A team of EMERGENCY’s surgeons operate in Misurata
Milan, Italy - April 11, 2011
An EMERGENCY team has started working in Misurata, Libya today. They are in a hospital treating war victims, especially with those injured by bombs and bullets.
This medical team is composed of a general surgeon, an orthopedic surgeon, one anesthetist, three nurses and a logistician. As far as we know, they are the only surgeons in the area who have experience in war surgery.
The hospital has five operating theaters, sixty ward beds, and seven beds in the intensive care unit. EMERGENCY’s medical team is directly managing one operating theater, an intensive care unit and a number of the ward beds.
For further information contact:
EMERGENCY USA
1016 Lincoln Blvd, Suite 211
San Francisco, CA 94129
Telephone: 1-888-501-3872
Email: info@emergencyusa.org
March 23, 2011: For Immediate Release
EMERGENCY USA: Medical Supplies Shipment to Aid Civilians in Afghanistan
Atlanta, GA – March 23, 2011
EMERGENCY USA – Life Support for Civilian Victims of War and Poverty sponsored shipment of a forty-foot container of medical supplies and equipment destined for three surgical centers, a maternity hospital, and twenty-eight first aid posts of its partner organization, EMERGENCY, an NGO operating in Afghanistan since 1999. With facilities located throughout Afghanistan, the medical programs of EMERGENCY provide free-of-charge, high-standard medical and surgical care to civilians in conflict zones worldwide.
Atlanta-based nonprofit, Medshare International, an organization that distributes donated surplus medical supplies internationally, helped coordinate today’s shipment. The container leaves Atlanta today and is expected to arrive in Kabul in mid-May. EMERGENCY USA describes this as the first of many such shipments to come.
EMERGENCY USA is a U.S. nonprofit that incorporated in 2008 to raise funds to provide permanent infrastructure for medical care, rehabilitation and relief efforts for civilian victims of war. EMERGENCY USA expresses its heartfelt gratitude to contributors to this effort. Today’s shipment was funded entirely through individual donations and support from small, locally owned businesses. The organization operates through grassroots efforts of volunteers working to increase awareness in their local communities.
EMERGENCY USA plans a second 2011 shipment of supplies and equipment to further support EMERGENCY’s programs in Afghanistan, and is currently raising funds in support of this upcoming shipment.
For further information contact:
Eric Talbert, Development Director
EMERGENCY USA-Life Support for Civilian Victims of War and Poverty
EMERGENCY USA
1016 Lincoln Blvd, Suite 211
San Francisco, CA 94129
Telephone: 1-888-501-3872
Email: info@emergencyusa.org
Link to March 24, 2011 Medshare Blog entry detailing the shipment
Link to March 23, 2011 Medshare Blog with photos of the shipment
The containter of boxes bound for Afghanistan
Warehouse staff preparing boxes for the shipment
December 21, 2010
2010 Goal Reached for Medical Shipment to Afghanistan in 2011!
Dear EMERGENCY USA Supporters,
It is with immense appreciation and celebration that we inform you that EMERGENCY USA reached its 2010 fundraising goal of $25,000 for the shipment of a container of medical supplies to equip lifesaving programs underway in Afghanistan.
It is thanks to your generous support and the ongoing direct actions of the coordinators and members of EMERGENCY USA volunteer groups throughout the country that we are able to extend this gesture of peace and solidarity to the people of Afghanistan ─ at this crucial time as civilian injuries due to war continue to escalate.
A shipment of medical consumables and equipment valued at greater than $200,000 will be ordered through MedShare International in early January and is expected to arrive in March. These supplies will be distributed to EMERGENCY's 3 Hospitals, 29 First Aid Clinics and Maternity Center located throughout Afghanistan, and will support the high-standard free of charge healthcare provided at these facilities. We will keep you posted on the container’s progress in 2011.
On behalf of the volunteers of EMERGENCY USA, thank you for your continued generosity this year. You have directly helped double our fundraising from 2009 to 2010. We are looking forward to working together towards an even more positive impact in 2011.
Thanks again for your support and happy holidays to you and yours from all of us at EMERGENCY USA!
Graziella B. Costanzo
President
EMERGENCY USA
Life Support for Civilian Victims of War and Poverty