Working in an armed conflict zone, Nishanth Arulappan, formerly with the Doctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres), has had his share of painful experiences. . Suddenly a man would walk into the emergency ward with a bullet in the head. Or he would be faced with a pregnant woman with a bullet lodged just close to her spinal cord in Yemen. The doctor had to witness all such civilian suffering in a war-torn county.
“War creates many problems. In this, civilians suffer the maximum damage,” he said, while delivering a special talk on “A Humanitarian Vision of Armed Conflict Zones – with a focus on the conflicts in the Middle East” for a group of students of Voorhees College on Tuesday.
His stint with Doctors Without Borders in 2014 and 2016 has shown how healthcare facilities and educational institutions are among the most-hit in war zones.
“There are attacks on hospitals, clinics, ambulances, electricity power stations, water supply, schools, markets and bakeries and industrial centres. Healthcare is the most affected in conflict zones. Targeting hospitals is a war crime. There are deliberate bombings on hospitals and schools,” he said.
Currently pursuing research on how healthcare system is affected by the conflict in Syria, Dr. Arulappan, quoting statistics, pointed out that in Yemen, only 45% health facilities were functional and at least two million children were malnourished. There was also an outbreak of cholera in Yemen.
As per data from Physicians for Human Rights, from March 2011 to March 2017, there had been 465 attacks against 315 separate health facilities in Syria, he said.
Cultural shock
As a doctor, the experience in Yemen was first horrifying, he said, adding, “It was a cultural shock. But I decided not to get emotional and do my job. There is no time to fear as there can be 10 patients at a time. It was psychologically distressing. Hence, we were given mandatory breaks periodically.”
With difficulty in getting adequate medical supplies and life saving drugs due to blockades, doctors working in such conflict zones faced plenty of challenges. He pointed out that the safety of doctors was vital. “In fact, no light can enter our rooms as the windows are covered with sand bags to safeguard ourselves,” he observed.
Nevertheless, humanitarian aid cannot go forever, he noted. “Political solution is necessary. Aid delivery must be synchronised with a viable political strategy,” he felt.
The talk was organised by the Post Graduate and Research Department of Defence and Strategic Studies of Voorhees College. Among others, D. Paulraj, vice principal and D. Thirumaran, head of department were present.
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