圖、文/無國界醫生
國際醫療人道組織無國界醫生表示,在被圍困的摩蘇爾(Mosul),包括空襲、砲擊、自殺式襲擊與槍擊等極度激烈的衝突與暴力,對舊城區(Old City)的居民造成毀滅性傷亡。無國界醫生在西摩蘇爾設立的醫院,是摩蘇爾該區仍然運作的兩間醫院的其中一間,正式啟用還不到兩周,至今已治療了超過100名與戰爭相關的傷者,包括超過25名兒童和20名婦女。然而,無國界醫生擔憂這只是能夠及時獲得醫療援助的一小部分,仍有許多人正在戰地中死去。
負責西摩蘇爾救援工作的無國界醫生緊急項目統籌雷米翁(Stephanie Remion)說:「每天,我們的團隊都在治療來自舊城區的病人,其中許多是婦孺。」她續說︰「病人告訴我們的艱苦故事,都是難以用文字表達。我們看到病人帶著與戰爭造成的傷口,從砲彈碎片造成的傷口、槍傷與炸傷,到燒傷以及因建築物倒塌造成的骨頭破碎。儘管各個前線創傷穩定站與救護車司機已經付出極大努力,考慮到仍被困在衝突地區成千上萬、具體數目未明的居民,我們收治的病人數量仍然相對的少。我們最大的擔憂是,許多最危急的傷病者正在戰地中死去,無法獲得救命醫療援助。」
▲這名男孩來自摩蘇爾舊城區的戰線,他被送到無國界醫生的醫院時,手臂和雙腳都有大範圍燒傷。
無國界醫生的醫院距離前線約三至四公里遠,於6月23日正式開啟當天,團隊就應對了一場大型傷亡事故(mass casualty incident),治療了18名病人,其中一人送抵時已性命垂危,另7名則是如沒有治療就有死亡風險。7月1日,團隊應對另一波有超過20名戰爭傷者的事故,傷者大多是婦孺。每天,無國界醫生的團隊都持續接收帶有各種戰爭相關創傷的病人。無國界醫生在西摩蘇爾已治療的超過100名病人中,13人傷勢嚴重,有生命威脅,超過50名病人若沒有接受治療將有死亡風險。
根據無國界醫生收治的病人所指,對於仍被困在舊城區成千上萬、具體數目未明的居民來說,生活就是每天掙扎求存。
一名老婦人在抵達醫院後,告訴無國界醫生:「我的孫女已死於飢餓,我也把孫兒埋在墓下。他們兩個,一人餓死,另一人被迫擊砲擊中。我把他們兩個葬在同一個墳中……我將他們埋在花園裡。」她續說︰「我們已經三天無水可用。我們在舊城區喝的水並不好,一喝就腹瀉……爆炸聲響很可怕,我們也同時在挨餓。」
另一名剛逃出舊城區的74歲婦女向無國界醫生的人員說:「每天人們都因為轟炸與空襲而死去。我們不知道那些攻擊從何而來。我的體重幾乎輕了一半。我以前重90公斤,現在是50公斤。」她續說︰「我們試圖說服孩子吃番茄糊。我們會用沸水煮麵粉……我們擁有的米飯太髒,就算是動物也吃不下去。」
▲西摩蘇爾的無國界醫生醫護人員正在照顧一名從舊城區前線被送進來的男孩,一場爆炸導致他的耳朵受傷,大量流血。
無國界醫生在西摩蘇爾的醫院自開啟後,已為超過200名有創傷或其他醫療問題的病人提供醫療援助。這間醫院為戰爭傷者與緊急剖腹生產的孕婦提供外科手術,也提供短期手術後護理、婦產護理,亦提供一間急症室與一間用來做把病人檢傷分類 的大型傷亡事故收治室。總體來說,無國界醫生在位於摩蘇爾城中或周遭的八個項目地點,為受到摩蘇爾危機影響的人們提供醫療援助。
無國界醫生提供中立且不偏不倚的醫療援助,不分種族、宗教、性別或政治立場。為了確保獨立,無國界醫生在伊拉克的救援工作不接受來自任何政府或國際機構的資金,僅依靠來自世界各地的大眾捐款來運作。
▲在西摩蘇爾無國界醫生剛設立的醫院內,醫護人員正在治療一名前額被炸彈碎片擊中的女嬰。
▲這個小女孩從前線被送到無國界醫生位於西摩蘇爾的醫院。她的其中一隻腳膝蓋以下被炸斷,另一隻腳則被炸彈碎片割傷。
PRESS RELEASE: 5, July 2017
Iraq: Scores of War-Wounded, Many Women and Children, Treated at MSF hospital in West Mosul
Extreme levels of conflict and violence in the besieged city of Mosul - including airstrikes, bombardment, suicide attacks and gunshots - are taking a devastating toll on residents of the embattled Old City, says the international medical humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). In less than two weeks since officially opening its hospital in west Mosul, one of only two hospitals functioning in this part of the city, MSF has treated over 100 patients for war-related injuries, including more than 25 children and 20 women. However, MSF fears that only a small fraction of residents are able to access medical assistance on time and that many are dying on the battlefield.
“Every day, our teams are treating patients from the Old City, many of whom are women and children,” says Stephanie Remion, MSF Emergency Coordinator for west Mosul. “The stories of hardship our patients tell us are impossible to put into words. We see patients with war-related injuries ranging from shrapnel wounds, gunshots and blast injuries to burns and broken bones from collapsing structures. Despite the tremendous efforts undertaken by staff in front line trauma stabilization points and by ambulance drivers, the numbers of patients we are receiving are comparatively low relative to the unknown thousands of residents thought to be trapped in the conflict zone. Our greatest fear is that many of the most urgent cases are dying in the battlefield, unable to access life-saving medical assistance.”
When the hospital, located approximately three to four kilometres from the front line, officially opened on June 23rd, MSF teams responded to a mass casualty incident with 18 patients treated, of which one was received in life-threatening condition and seven who were at risk of dying without medical treatment. On July 1, teams responded to another spike of more than 20 war-wounded patients, most of whom were women and children. On a daily basis, MSF teams continue to receive patients with a range of war-related injuries. Of the more than 100 patients MSF has treated for war injuries in west Mosul, 13 patients were received with immediately life-threatening injuries and over 50 were at risk of dying without medical treatment.
Life has become an everyday struggle for survival for the unknown thousands of residents still trapped in the Old City, according to patient testimonies received by MSF.
“My granddaughter died of starvation and I also had to put my grandson in the grave. Two of them; one starved to death and the other was hit by a mortar. I put them in a grave together… I buried them in the garden,” an elderly woman told MSF after arriving to the hospital. “We have gone three days without water. The water we drank [in the Old City] was not good, we had diarrhoea whenever we drank it … the sounds of explosions were terrifying and we were starving.”
“Every day people were dying because of the shelling and airstrikes. We don’t know where it was coming from. I lost almost half of my weight. I used to be 90 kg, now I am 50 kg,” a 74-year-old woman who recently escaped from the Old City told MSF. “We tried to convince the children to eat tomato paste. We would boil flour in water… the rice we had was so dirty even animals could not eat it.”
Since opening the hospital in west Mosul, MSF has provided medical assistance to more than 200 patients for trauma injuries and other medical issues. The hospital provides surgery for war-wounded and emergency C-sections, short-term post-operative care, maternity, an emergency room and a mass casualty intake room for triage. In total, MSF is providing medical assistance for people affected by the Mosul crisis in eight project locations in and surrounding the city.
MSF offers neutral and impartial medical assistance regardless of race, religion, gender or political affiliation. In order to ensure its independence, MSF does not accept funding from any government or international agency for its programs in Iraq, relying solely on private donations from the general public around the world to carry out its work.