2021

This is an emergency call from the abdominal surgeon Dr Reiye, one of the Clinical Directors of Ayder University Hospital Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia on August 13th, 2021, by satellite communication

Hello, I will ll try to update our current situation. The first will be the Ayder scenario.

A. Hospital-

1. 1.there is severe shortage of medications and medical consumables as we are running out of our stock which was already far less from adequate.
2. CT & MRI are still not functional, and one can imagine how hard it is to treat without them in a tertiary hospital.
3. 3.no dialysis service & 8 patients (2 acute renal failure, 6 chronic) (2acute) died only  in the past 1 month.
4. Too many patients for the hospital to treat, and patients are lying on the floor and in the corridors.
5. Most of the medical interns and residents went back home, so we have severe shortage of medical human resources to cover the increased demand

B. Staffs

No salary for the past 3 months and the banks are still closed, so you can imagine the frustrations.

There is no light, no water and related problems ( almost everything is related with electric power, especially cooking and water supply)

 

I'll come back with the overall regional status

Here you can see what is lost in Ayder Hospital (only full equipped hospital for 6 all Tigray) in pictures:

The up-to-date MRI machine (to repair at least €50,000 for new Helium is required)

The fully functional CT - Machine (to diagnose brain bleeding and more)

 

The dialysis Unit (patients with severe kidney disease die within days without it)

 

Dr. Melaku Abriha MD
©catherinehamlin.org

A few days ago, the only fully qualified Ethiopian gynecologist in the city of Mekelle and medical director of Hamlin’s Mekelle Fistula Hospital, Dr. Melaku Abriha and his wife were attacked and injured in his home by Eritrean soldiers

He is currently the only gynecologist in town who can operate on the serious injuries of Tigray women and girls who have been raped in large numbers by soldiers.

According to information from his family, the timely arrival of neighbors saved his life. It is reported that his injuries had to be treated surgically. The attacking soldiers are said to have asked him to leave the city of Mekelle. The big city with about 400,000 inhabitants and an additional 300,000 refugees would then be without gynecological care. As far as we know, Dr. Melaku refused to do so.

The operating room at Hamlin's Fistula Hospital Mekelle 2018
© Dr. Christian Leuner

There is great concern that this attack by members of the Eritrean army who are in Mekelle could be a systematic action against the doctors there to force them out of the city and the region.

Since November 2020, the people in the Ethiopian northern province of Tigray have been suffering from extreme hardship due to armed conflicts in the form of displacement, death, rape and starvation.

The development aid association Etiopia-Witten e. V. is now, as it has been for more than 10 years, in close contact with the doctors in Mekelle and is currently helping there with their donations in the supply of medicines and medical aids.

To stop attacks on doctors in Mekelle and all over Tigray as well as the attempt to push them away, we urge the German government and the public to stand up for their protection.

With its donation of 16,000 euros, Etiopia-Witten has enabled the doctors at Ayder Hospital in Mekelle to obtain medical materials for the doctors to treat the suffering Tigray population. Medicines and medical equipment are bought in Addis Ababa and, thanks to the Red Cross, are brought to Ayder Hospital and other hospitals in Mekelle

Donations urgently needed, every donation counts!

The English translation of the German written letter of the four mayors