“We were few doctors and we worked without stopping during the war. The staff was depleted over time, both psychological and physically, “he says Chafih Fouanipediatrician and head of the medical team of hospital Hikmat al-Aminelocated in the town of Nabatieh.
The hospital, the Unique operation in southern Lebanon During the Israeli offensive, it became more than a health care center. Its white walls and aseptic halls became the staff home. Given the shortage of doctors, nurses and even surgical supplies, the health team decided to turn their workplace also in their own home.
Those responsible for administering this hospital, which attends approximately half a million people In the south of Lebanon, a region specially affected by the Israeli attacks since September 2023together with the president of the Lebanese popular relief associationthey talk with the newspaper during their visit to Barcelona.
Chafih Fouani, pediatrician and head of the health team of Hikmat Al-Amine Hospital / Zowy feet
The trip is part of the project “Right to health and a dignified life and free of violence in the south of Lebanon”, an initiative promoted by the Catalunya-Liban Association and the ACSAR Foundation, With the support of the Catalan Agency for Development Cooperation.
The ballast of the lack of personnel and resources
“During this war we have seen injuries caused by Weapons with new technologyinjuries that we had not tried before and cases that had never been seen In Lebanon, “says Fouani. To the complexity of this medical emergency, the Personnel shortage. According to Lebanese authorities, near 500.000 personas They moved to other parts of the country or even crossed the border after months of hostilities between Hizbulá and Israel. Among them, also specialists from the health field.
“There was only two neurosurgeons available to serve thousands of people. They worked in three hospitals at the same time, at night or day, whatever necessary, “says Fouani. Precisely, Sara Sallomresponsible for nursing in the hospital, remember that one of the most critical moments was lived after the one, which left 11 dead and 4,000 injuredoverflowing hospitals. “We received thousands of patients at the same time, all with the same type of wounds and there were not enough specialists, such as hand or eye surgeons, to attend them. Because of that, Many of them lost their eyes“.
Mona Abouzeid, director of the Hikmat Al-Amine Hospital Administration / Zowy feet
However, not only the lack of professionals complicated the attention to those injured by the bombings and patients with chronic diseases, but also the Fuel shortage At the beginning of the attacks. “We went from having 4,000 liters to 1,000 liters, and there was no one who could deliver it. We would have had to stop the operations and close the hospital,” he explains Mona AbouzeidDirector of the Hospital Administration.
Life after war
The magnitude of the bombings is usually measured in injured and dead, but even when the intensity of the attacks decreases, the consequences of war They loom over the lives of survivors who have witnessed horror, have lost their homes and have been expelled from their lands.
The Hikmat Al-Amine hospital has not stopped receiving patients even after the high fire, with projects to treat the mental health of the population. “This is the most important thing now, because people are sufferingis very stressed, very anxious and children are in a very difficult situation, “says Salloum. These initiatives, those of psychological and social character, as well as those related to women and childhood, are born from the Cooperation between Catalan entities and the Libanese popular helpa secular and civil association that manages this hospital and other health centers and reception of refugees in Lebanon.
Ali Moussaoui, president of the Lebanese Popular Relief. / Zowy feet
“For us, it is a pride to be a civil organization, and we work for all Lebanese, without discrimination. We do not distinction between Lebanese, Syrians or Palestinian refugees,” he explains Ali MoussaouiPresident of the Labanés Popular Socorro, who also highlights the difficulty of working in a country with strong regional, political and sectarian divisions. In that sense, Moussaui explains that the hospital is the crown jewel of its organization, but that they have 22 help and shelter centers In different parts of the country.
The mirage of a high fire and an uncertain future
After a war that has claimed the lives of more than 4.000 personasIsrael and Hizbulá, agreed to High fire on November 27. On paper, attacks should have ceased, but reality is another. The country and has carried out, the Lebanese capital.
“There is a stop the fire, but it is not real, we We continue to live in the midst of this war. Israel continues to attack Lebanon and Every day there are 4 or 5 attacks. Not only in the south, also in the Becá Valley and even in Beirut, “says ABouzeid.” It’s a Tall the false firebecause one of the parts of the conflict respects it, and the other part, Israel, does not respect it, “adds Fouani.
In spite of everything, the high fire has given Lebanon sufficient stability to head by Nawaf Salam. However, yet It is early to know if this will improve the country’s perspective. “I am not optimistic with the situationbecause Israel continues to carry out continuous attacks, we have serious internal problems and on the north borders and this is a new regime in Syria, which can have negative effects on the situation of the country, “he says Ali Moussaoui.
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