“The people of Gaza plunged back into exactly the same situation they were in before the ceasefire, without food or medicine for more than three weeks. There are many children with shrapnel wounds, burns and children who have lost their families. It’s a disastrous situation.”
Chiara Lodi (Foto Medici senza Frontiere)
Chiara Lodi, a medical coordinator for Doctors without Borders (MSF) from Carpi, Italy, shared her dramatic testimony from Gaza, where she has been stationed for the past month. This 41-year-old qualified nurse has been serving as a humanitarian aid worker for Doctors Without Borders for the past ten years, travelling to areas affected by natural disasters and armed conflicts as a member of the MSF “emergency team” on more than 20 missions across the globe.
What is the situation like and how are you?
We’re all in one piece, so… I guess we’re okay. I am a member of the “emergency team” and as such I coordinate medical interventions during our missions. Before the ceasefire, this was a “humanitarian zone” where organisations could operate reasonably safely. However, when the bombing resumed, the humanitarian zone was not re-established and now
all of Gaza is a risk zone.
Our operational headquarters keeps us informed on how to proceed to ensure our safety. Of course we’re scared, the bombing happened 500 metres from our premises and anything can happen at any moment. However, the exact location of humanitarian organisations is usually communicated in advance precisely in order to ensure their safety.
What is the role of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Gaza?
(Foto Msf)
We have a guest house, a support centre for international staff and offices. Doctors Without Borders provides support to four hospitals in Gaza, in the north and south, and to various clinics that provide emergency care, like small first aid posts, throughout the area. Our role is to stabilise patients and then transfer them to hospitals. We also have GP-type clinics for both adults and children, as well as a midwife and gynaecologist who provide antenatal and postnatal care. On average, 1000 patients use our services every day. I coordinate all these activities, which involve an international team of doctors and nurses working closely with highly qualified Palestinian medical staff. I try to optimise the organisation of medical supplies, work shifts, transport logistics and the search for medical specialists.
What is your main concern now?
The ceasefire had allowed the population to slowly return to normal life, the children had returned to school. We had hoped it would last at least 60/90 days, but from one moment to the next everything changed.
The borders were closed more than three weeks ago: this means that food and medicine can no longer enter the country. Electricity has been cut off, water is scarce and fuel will soon run out, as will basic necessities:
we managed to get in enough medicine for one, one and a half months. After that, we really don’t know what to do. All humanitarian aid has been blockaded until we are allowed through.
Our request for a humanitarian corridor has been ignored.
The danger in these situations is that people can become extremely frustrated, which could lead to internal unrest among the residents of Gaza.
(*) “Notizie” (Carpi)
