Accomplishments” under daily bombing and staff shortage”

Hassan Mutlak – Enab Baladi

As the conflict in Syria continues, the number of hospitals within the country have grown in an attempt to accommodate for the large numbers of injured from bombing and battles. In eastern Hama countryside, a number of hospitals were able to provide surgical operations and free services to the region’s residents, despite difficult conditions.

“Ibn Sina” hospital (previously called Ibn Wardan) emerges as an example to follow in that region, supported by the Syrian American Medical Society.

The hospital began operation in February 2013, and was previously subject to more than one direct bombing. The facility had to be moved several times inside the eastern countryside, eventually to be re-built underground with the assistance of Relief Organizing Unit. This hospital continues to operate as of September last year, with the purpose of covering all of eastern Hama countryside, in addition to the southern and eastern countryside of the Idlib province, covering the emergency cases in a total area of 85 square km.

The hospital consists of surgical and orthopedic operating rooms located underground, while visits and follow-ups are done in a building subsidiary of the hospital. The media representative reported that the hospital contains other departments like radiology, according to the media representative of the society that supports the hospital, who reports that the hospital receives about 1300 cases monthly adding, “the medical staff performs around 85 operation per month, and they treat many cases like pelvic disfiguration and limb splinting”.

One of the biggest problems facing facilities is staff shortage. The hospital lacks many basic components like ICUs, in addition to shortage in staff and equipment, like the CT, the media representative claimed that “the vast areas and transportation difficulty under continuous bombing are some of the biggest problems we suffer, in addition to the difficult maintenance for malfunctioning equipment. But the hospital is working with maximum effort and serving around the clock.”

On a similar topic, administrative staff in the hospital noted that the medical staff shortage is due to increasing immigration out of Syria among doctors stating, “the hospital needs ambulances so the staff can reach the casualties of the continuous bombing, which led yesterday (Saturday, Feb 21^st) to the death of 6 individuals and the injury of 5 people when the MiG airplanes bombed Um Mayyalvillage. The injured needed two general surgery operations (laparotomy) and one orthopedic surgery.”

“The Mohammad Osama Al-Baroudi” clinic

The clinics that support hospitals are spread throughout different countrysides, yet these facilities suffer from shortages in staff and equipment as well. “DoctorMohammad Osama Al-Baroudi” clinic plays a prominent role in the provision of medical care in the eastern Hama countryside and in Idlib province countryside, with support from the Syrian American Medical Society.

The clinic contains different specialties such as; cardiology, internal medicine, radiology, dental work, and gynecological care, serving about 3050 patient every month for free.

The clinic also contains a pharmacy the provides all medication for free, and “admits cases of endemic Leishmaniasis continuously and treats it, the number of such cases reaches 95 case per month. While the number of service recipients reaches around 2730 patient per month”.

Osama was a doctor in the Hama providence, who was arrested from his house on Saturday Feb 18^th 2012 and passed away in Saidnaya prison on Ramadan 23^rd (July 31^st) of 2013 after his health deteriorated due to the absence of nutritional or medical attention.

It is worth mentioning that a large number of battle casualties had to travel to Turkey for treatment previously, because there were no surgical operations in the region. SAMS hopes that in the future the region’s hospitals will be able to provide operations for the wounded to relieve their suffering.