- Title: Trauma hospitals suffer major damage in sustained Aleppo onslaught
- Date: 28th September 2016
- Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (SEPTEMBER 28, 2016) (REUTERS) FLAG FLYING OUTSIDE UNITED NATIONS BUILDING VARIOUS OF DR ABD ARRAHMAN ALOMAR OF SYRIAN AMERICAN MEDICAL SOCIETY (SAMS) TALKING DR. ABD ARRAHMAN ALOMAR OF THE SYRIAN AMERICAN MEDICAL SOCIETY (SAMS) TALKING TO JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) DOCTOR FROM SYRIAN AMERICAN MEDICAL SOCIETY, DR ABD ARRAHMAN ALOMAR, SAYING: "Two hospitals were attacked last night, those are M10 hospital and M2. M10 hospital was targeted, or attacked, by a bomb barrel, and M2 hospital was shelling by more than 20 shells." ALOMAR TALKING TO JOURNALIST ALOMAR'S HAND MOVING (SOUNDBITE) (English) DOCTOR FROM SYRIAN AMERICAN MEDICAL SOCIETY, DR ABD ARRAHMAN ALOMAR, SAYING: "M2 it maybe function again after two days, after fixing the damage, but regarding M10, the damages are so huge, so we didn't know how many (days) will take to fix the damage. And by the way, M10 is the biggest trauma hospital in eastern Aleppo city, and those two hospitals are two of the only three trauma hospitals in Aleppo city. Now, Aleppo city is served, eastern Aleppo city is served by only (one) trauma centre, this is M1 hospital." ALOMAR TALKING TO JOURNALIST JOURNALIST LISTENING (SOUNDBITE) (English) DOCTOR FROM SYRIAN AMERICAN MEDICAL SOCIETY, DR ABD ARRAHMAN ALOMAR, SAYING: "Before we lost these seven ICUs (Intensive Care Unit beds), with their ventilators, we were (already) choosing between the critical cases which we will put in the ICU and their ventilators. And four, at least four patients died because of unavailability of ICU beds, two of those patients are children." ALOMAR TALKING TO JOURNALIST ALOMAR TALKING ALOMAR'S HAND MOVING (SOUNDBITE) (English) DOCTOR FROM SYRIAN AMERICAN MEDICAL SOCIETY, DR ABD ARRAHMAN ALOMAR, SAYING: "The humanitarian situation is going bad more and more, and they (people of Aleppo) are waiting for the worse if there is no prompt solution for this disastrous situation." UNITED NATIONS BUILDING
- Embargoed: 13th October 2016 20:08
- Keywords: hospitals Aleppo trauma centre ICU Syria bombing attacks SAMS
- Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- City: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- Country: Switzerland
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Military Conflicts
- Reuters ID: LVA00151HEWCN
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A member of the Syrian American Medical Society warned on Wednesday (September 28) that after the attacks on two major hospitals in the besieged enclave of east Aleppo, there now only remains one trauma hospital and six Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds for the 250,000 people trapped in the rebel-held sector of the city - people who he said are now expecting the worse as air strikes and a ground campaign intensify.
"Two hospitals were attacked last night, those are M10 hospital and M2. M10 hospital was targeted, or attacked, by a bomb barrel, and M2 hospital was shelling by more than 20 shells," pediatrician Dr Abd Arrahman Alomar told Reuters in Geneva, citing testimony coming from his colleagues in the eastern part of Aleppo city. "Now, Aleppo city is served, eastern Aleppo city is served by only (one) trauma centre, this is M1 hospital," he said.
Russian or Syrian warplanes knocked the two hospitals out of service in the besieged rebel sector of Aleppo overnight. Two patients died in one of the hospitals and other shelling killed six residents queueing for bread under a siege that has trapped the population with food running out.
The week-old assault, which could herald a turning point in the war, has already killed hundreds of people, with bunker-busting bombs bringing down buildings on resident huddled inside.
Based in Turkey near the border with Syria, and going back and forth from there into Syria, Dr Alomar was in Geneva on a trip to meet United Nations human rights and humanitarian officials, but is in constant contact with his colleagues in Syria's largest city.
The six-year long war, and the widespread attacks on health facilities and health workers, have already critically damaged the health system in the whole country.
In east Aleppo, there are now only six ICU beds left at the Al Quds and M1 hospitals, after seven were destroyed during the last attack.
"Before we lost these seven ICUs (Intensive Care Unit beds), with their ventilators, we were (already) choosing between the critical cases which we will put in the ICU and their ventilators, and four, at least four patients died because of unavailability of ICU beds, two of those patients are children," Alomar said.
He added that there are now more than 200 people who need an immediate medical evacuation to Idlib or to Turkey. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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