DRAMA: cascading deaths in Mada after the closure of a hospital
DRAMA: cascading deaths in Mada after the closure of a hospital
Mada, a locality of Cameroon located in the department of Logone-et-Chari and the Far North Region. It is part of the commune of Waza and the canton of rural Waza, is going through an unprecedented health crisis situation which threatens the locality. According to whistleblower Boris Bertolt, we are witnessing a cascade of deaths due to the closure of a hospital.
“Since the closure of the Swiss foundation of the Mada hospital, Mada has already had 18 deaths from caesarean sections transported urgently to Makary and Kousseri; 6 deaths from prostate cases scheduled for surgery. The prefect visited Mada and promised the people that the hospital will be open and so far no action has been taken,” the whistleblower published on his Facebook page.
At the beginning of July, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) condemned the attack on the Swiss hospital in Mada, which resulted in one death and numerous injuries on the night of July 1 to 2, 2022 . release July 05, 2022 “We are shocked that armed men have entered the hospital to destroy equipment and harm patients and medical staff. Hospitals are sanctuaries where lives are saved and nothing can justify such an attack,” said Stephane Bonamy, head of the ICRC regional delegation in Yaoundé.
“At this stage, it is still difficult to establish a clear balance sheet, because the hospital has emptied quickly. When the shots rang out, patients who could move, carers and staff fled in various directions,” he continued.
Following the attack, all medical and paramedical personnel left Mada. Only a third of the patients interned at the time of the attack could be transferred to Makary hospital due to the lack of surgical capacity.
The attack on the Swiss hospital in Mada is not an isolated event. Attacks, threats and obstructions against hospitals, medical personnel and ambulances are one of the main concerns of the ICRC in areas affected by armed violence in Cameroon. Health structures and personnel must be protected at all costs and the neutrality of care respected. The cost of such violence on populations and on the resilience of health systems is enormous. In collaboration with the Cameroonian medical corps, the ICRC works to promote respect for the medical mission in all circumstances.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is a neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian organization present in Cameroon since 1992. Its mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflicts or other situations of violence, and to assist them.
Following the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Lake Chad area, the ICRC is supporting the medical structures of Mada, Makary, Ngouma, Hile Alifa, Kousseri, Koza, Mora, Mokolo in the Far North region and the health centers in Balikumbat, Esu, Wum and Kumba in the North-West and South-West regions, for the care of the wounded and sick, through training and the supply of medicines and other essential medical materials.
Since January 2022, 58 patients have benefited from surgical procedures thanks to the organization’s support at the Swiss hospital in Mada.
