Reference :
V-P-BF-E-00094
Date :
04/09/2019
Caption :
Barsalogho, medical center. Patients in an overcrowded facility.
Confidentiality level :
public
Publication restrictions :
publication without restrictions
Description :
After the closure of several health centers in the province, the Barsalogho medical center is now receiving three times as many patients today as in 2018. There are not sufficient beds and some patients are receiving care or sleeping outside. "We only have 12 beds for 50 people in our hospital," Dr. Bertrand Dibri says, a general practitioner.
News release on ICRC website, 09.09.2019 : “Burkina Faso: Increased armed violence means loss of health care for half a million people. Ouagadougou (ICRC) – A downward spiral in violence in Burkina Faso this year has resulted in more than 500,000 people having their access to health care completely cut off or drastically reduced in the past six months.
As of August, about 125 health centers were either closed (60) or partially working (65). In January, only ten health centers were affected by the situation. This represents more than a twelvefold increase in eight months.
Due to the spike in security incidents, health care workers are often fleeing rural areas affected by armed violence. Burkina Faso's Sahel and Centre-North regions are the most affected. Between May 2018 and July 2019, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has registered 26 violent incidents directly affecting health care staff, their belongings or vehicles.
"Access to health care has become extremely difficult in some parts of Burkina Faso, and is a frightening by-product of violence for families, especially those with sick or injured children," ICRC President Peter Maurer said following a high-level meeting with President Kaboré in Ouagadougou last Friday. During his two-day stay in the country, Maurer visited a prison and met with communities affected by the armed violence, which is forcing people to flee.
The number of internally displaced people in the country has increased fivefold in less than a year, from 50,0000 in December 2018 to more than 270,000 in August. That represents thousands of pastoralist and farming families who can no longer provide for themselves. Hunger and malnutrition are also a major concern, with 1.2 million people classified as food insecure.
"Burkina Faso faces challenges on many levels, including climate shocks, which is exacerbating the consequences of armed conflict. Water is scarce, and tensions are rising over natural resources. Climate change won't be solved soon, clearly. We all need to work together to help alleviate the worst of the coming changes," Maurer said.”
Original material :
digital
Resolution :
4530x3398
Orientation :
landscape
Colour/B&W :
colour
