ICRC deploys surgical team amid humanitarian crisis in Lebanon

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
16 Oct 2024 18:28
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The ICRC is deploying a surgical team in Lebanon amid the escalating humanitarian crisis and ongoing Israeli targeting of healthcare facilities and workers.

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A Lebanese Red Cross volunteer searches for body remains between the rubble of a destroyed building at the site of Monday's Israeli airstrike in Aitou village, north Lebanon, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (AP)

A specialized surgical team from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), skilled in treating war injuries, has been sent to a hospital in southern Beirut to provide essential, life-saving care and support to the overworked medical staff.

The medical reinforcement arrives amid escalating Israeli aggression, an increasing number of injured individuals, and a healthcare system grappling with a surge of people in urgent need of assistance.

The surgical team, comprising an emergency room doctor, a surgeon, and an anesthetist, is well-versed in the specific and devastating injuries inflicted by war-related weapons. They intend to work alongside the ICRC's existing 22-member team at Rafik Hariri University Hospital, in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health.

Additionally, a shipment of medical supplies delivered by the ICRC to Rafik Hariri University Hospital earlier this month has bolstered the facility’s trauma unit. This shipment will also support a comparable unit at Zahle-Elias Hrawi Government Hospital in Bekaa, where 10 more ICRC healthcare specialists, including nurses and doctors, are set to be deployed soon.

Head of the ICRC delegation in Lebanon, Simone Casabianca-Aeschlimann, said, “This critical assistance provides much necessary relief, but the needs continue to grow significantly."

“While our surgical team and medical supplies will help ease the burden on healthcare providers, sustained and safe humanitarian aid is urgently needed. The humanitarian crisis deepens by the hour.”

The new medical supplies consist of war surgery kits designed to treat around 2,000 critically injured patients, depending on the severity of their conditions. Additionally, water purification supplies will be able to treat 50,000 liters of water. These resources will support 19 medical centers throughout Lebanon, particularly in war-stricken areas and regions where displaced individuals have sought refuge.

It is worth mentioning that according to international humanitarian law, medical personnel, units, and transportation designated solely for medical purposes must be respected and protected at all times.

Continuous targeting of health facilities

This comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed on Wednesday that over 20 attacks have targeted health facilities in Lebanon since September 17, killing 72 people and injuring 43 others.

"Since the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Lebanon on 17 September 2024, WHO has verified 23 attacks on health care in Lebanon that have led to 72 deaths and 43 injuries among health workers and patients," the organization announced in a statement.

According to the WHO, 100 out of 207 primary healthcare centers and dispensaries in affected areas have been forced to shut down. It also warned that health supplies are running dangerously low, and medical staff are facing severe exhaustion in Lebanon.

"Israel" persists with its aggression across Lebanon, especially its South and East, killing more than 1,300 people since September 23 when it launched its massive aerial attacks on the country.