-
“This is what keeping a promise means”
The first time Israa arrived at the Salam Centre on a wheelchair pushed by her brother, she was dying. She had undergone an endless prognosis process and many treatments before arriving at our hospital, yet her pathology hadn’t been diagnosed: Tetralogy of Fallot. In order to be treated, Israa needed emergency surgery. When cardiac surgeon…
-
Hospitals must be respected
For over a month, Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, has once again been the scene of clashes between government forces and armed groups. The tension between the two factions has grown daily, especially in the predominantly Muslim PK5 quarter. During the first few days of April, we reduced staff movement to a…
-
It’s About 8am and Kabul Is Awoken by the First Explosion of the Day
It’s about 8am and Kabul is awoken by the first explosion of the day. Mohammed lives in Shash Darak, the district where two bombs exploded one after another. “I heard an explosion. My house is in front of the Afghan Intelligence Agency headquarters where the attack took place. I was afraid, I thought about it…
-
He Was Playing in His Room When Fighting Drew Near
“His name is Ansarullah, he’s two years old and he arrived at the Kabul Surgical Centre two days ago. A sign is hanging over his bed, with the words ‘SIPS OF WATER’: that’s the only thing he can consume. He was playing in his room with his cousin when the fighting drew near to his…
-
“Wounds that may never heal”
In Afghanistan, Friday is the day off for international staff. A few weeks ago, I was relaxing on the terrace behind our house here in Lashkar-Gah with Olivia, who is a nurse; she had just returned from her day on call and was telling me how it had gone. As we heard the muezzin recite…
-
“Our little bit”
We recently got back from Nigeria where we were in the field carrying out cardiac screenings. For years, we have collaborated with an organisation in Lagos to provide follow-up medical examinations and deliver medicine for free to patients operated on in our Salam Centre for Cardiac Surgery in Sudan. Two years ago, we also began…
-
“Something that nobody should have to face”
Some weeks have passed since I returned from Afghanistan. I feel the need to do something, to explain to people that war is a reality and not the news stories we hear broadcast on the television or the location of the latest blockbuster. I clearly remember how strange it was going to bed after a…
-
Fatma really got us quite a fright
Fatma is 12 years old and lives in West Kordofan, Sudan. She started having heart problems at primary school and when she was nine, she had to stop going to school due to recurring headaches, weight loss, and general discomfort. Initially, her mother and father turned to the city hospital for help. They were advised…
-
It’s saturation effect
1 July 2017. “Fire in the San Ferdinando makeshift camp in Rosarno. One badly injured.” 27 January 2018. “Rosarno, fire in the San Ferdinando makeshift camp for migrants. One woman dead”. I visited that makeshift camp a few weeks ago, together with EMERGENCY’s cultural mediators. I sat with them on the shuttle bus that, twice…
-
“Borders can open for me with a simple piece of paper”
“No photos here. Nobody likes to be photographed. These people are not a tourist attraction”. Our cultural mediator Ousmane makes sure we understand this. We’re visiting the makeshift camps in the Rosarno area, Calabria, where migrants who come to the area annually to harvest oranges every year live. With us is Loredana, another cultural mediator.…