Thursday, September 08, 2011
For weeks, tens of thousands of Somalians have been fleeing drought-stricken areas of the country to the capital, Mogadishu.
Their primary goal is to get to Banadir Hospital, the country’s largest medical facility.
A symbol of hope, an estimated 15 000 people are now waiting for the South African teams, which are to staff the hospital.
Those waiting for the 29-member South African team, operating under the banner of the South African humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers, are among millions who have fled to Mogadishu in the past two months to escape famine and civil war.
As well as staffing the hospital, Gift of the Givers has set up and is running four feeding centres in Mogadishu supplying more than 20 000 people a day with food.
The centres were established last month with the assistance of an Somali NGO, Shado. The Gift of the Givers team flew from South Africa to Malawi earlier this week with over four tons of medical supplies and food.
The aid was flown from Malawi, where another 18 tons of medical supplies and nutritional supplements were collected.
Among the 18 tons, was $300 000 (R2.14 million) worth of nutritional supplements donated by Scottish NGO Mary’s Meals. Gift of the Givers and Mary’s Meals have teamed up to deliver the vitally needed aid.
As well asflying in the 18 tons, nearly 50 tons have been delivered by air and Gift of the Givers has arranged the delivery of another 1 740 tons of aid, valued at more than R40m, by cargo ships which are sailing from South Africa.
Within weeks of the ships sailing more vessels are expected to sail with another 1500 tons of aid.
Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman said the organisation was taking everything needed to run a hospital.
“We have brought medical personnel, nutritional food supplements and our own equipment.
“For nearly 20 years this hospital, which we will be manning for the next week, has been looted and vandalised. Everything that was working is now gone. We have brought with us theatre equipment such as oxygen tanks, anaesthetic machines, surgery equipment and medicines.”
Describing the conditions facing the team, Sooliman said: “Somalia was a disaster even before famine.
“For more than 20 years people have not been receiving medical treatment. Now, coupled with the famine, it is a complete catastrophe with over 2000 children dying a day.
“People have learnt that we are coming and are flocking to the hospital in the hope that someone will help them, which is why we have taken over the running of the facility.
“The plan now is to operate 24 hours, working shifts if needs be and hopefully with other international medical teams which we hope will also come to the country.
“It is going to be extremely difficult, because as opposed to seeing maybe three to four malnourished children a day our team will be treating between 5000 and 10 000 a day, which will be emotionally and physically draining.
“As opposed to the refugee camps, where we were first operating and where security was a concern, we will be able to work 24 hours a day as the facility is enclosed and has security.
“As long as the teams can maintain the pace we will do our best to treat as many patients as possible.”
Sooliman said the team, which consisted of orthopaedic and trauma surgeons, gynaecologists, anaesthetists, general practitioners, pharmacists and specialist dietitians, would treat not only those who were starving but patients suffering from wounds sustained in conflict.
“We will be treating people who have not received medical attention in many years. Our promise was that we will not leave or abandon these people.
“When we went the first time we promised we would be back and now we are. We are here to help and will do whatever we can to help these people,” he said.