SK143
04-20-2009, 07:50 AM
Hospitals in the war zone are lacking staff and medical supplies
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says government doctors working in the remaining area of fighting in Sri Lanka are "worn out".
The ICRC says they do not have enough supplies to treat the hundreds, or thousands, of injured people there.
The agency says it would like to help people escaping the zone by land, but it had not yet been given access.
Up to 100,000 Tamil civilians are trapped in the tiny area where Tamil Tiger rebels still confront the army.
Their life on this coastal strip, less than 20 sq km in size, is a nightmare.
See map of the region
There has been shelling there for months, while the UN says the Tigers are preventing the people from escaping, despite rebel denials.
The government is not giving the ICRC access to the landward side of the zone.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45680000/jpg/_45680179_007185183-1.jpg
The agency evacuates people by sea as it has no land access to the area
So it can only evacuate people by sea, with two or three ships per week, each carrying 400 or 500 of the sickest, oldest and most badly wounded people.
"The situation there is very difficult. The makeshift health facilities that are still existing are not immune of the effects of the hostilities," the ICRC country chief, Paul Castella, told the BBC.
"The Ministry of Health staff still working there is really worn out - these people are working for months now without any break, they work day and night. And medical supplies are lacking," he added.
Mr Castella said people were densely packed in the area of hostilities, totally reliant on external aid and lacking sanitation.
The Red Cross has evacuated over 10,000 civilians since early February, but Mr Castella could not confirm or deny figures that others are citing for the number of people recently killed, or managing to escape by land.
Meanwhile Britain has sent former Defence Secretary Des Browne, whom it has designated as a special envoy for Sri Lanka, to UN headquarters for urgent discussions on the situation in the island.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45680000/jpg/_45680175_007185153-1.jpg
Source (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8007465.stm)
me sakkilli ballo yudde ivara karanna denne ne... see guyz kohoma devalda mun report karala tiyenne kiyala... red cross ekat ltte eka beraganna hadanava.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says government doctors working in the remaining area of fighting in Sri Lanka are "worn out".
The ICRC says they do not have enough supplies to treat the hundreds, or thousands, of injured people there.
The agency says it would like to help people escaping the zone by land, but it had not yet been given access.
Up to 100,000 Tamil civilians are trapped in the tiny area where Tamil Tiger rebels still confront the army.
Their life on this coastal strip, less than 20 sq km in size, is a nightmare.
See map of the region
There has been shelling there for months, while the UN says the Tigers are preventing the people from escaping, despite rebel denials.
The government is not giving the ICRC access to the landward side of the zone.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45680000/jpg/_45680179_007185183-1.jpg
The agency evacuates people by sea as it has no land access to the area
So it can only evacuate people by sea, with two or three ships per week, each carrying 400 or 500 of the sickest, oldest and most badly wounded people.
"The situation there is very difficult. The makeshift health facilities that are still existing are not immune of the effects of the hostilities," the ICRC country chief, Paul Castella, told the BBC.
"The Ministry of Health staff still working there is really worn out - these people are working for months now without any break, they work day and night. And medical supplies are lacking," he added.
Mr Castella said people were densely packed in the area of hostilities, totally reliant on external aid and lacking sanitation.
The Red Cross has evacuated over 10,000 civilians since early February, but Mr Castella could not confirm or deny figures that others are citing for the number of people recently killed, or managing to escape by land.
Meanwhile Britain has sent former Defence Secretary Des Browne, whom it has designated as a special envoy for Sri Lanka, to UN headquarters for urgent discussions on the situation in the island.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45680000/jpg/_45680175_007185153-1.jpg
Source (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8007465.stm)
me sakkilli ballo yudde ivara karanna denne ne... see guyz kohoma devalda mun report karala tiyenne kiyala... red cross ekat ltte eka beraganna hadanava.