OPERATION INTERNS FOR HOPE
ISRAELI MEDICAL AID TO RWANDAN REFUGEES
(Communicated by the Foreign Ministry)
UPDATE - AUGUST 8, 1994
Since operation Interns for Hope began about two weeks ago, it has
received positive media reactions throughout the world and has been priase
by many governments. The establishment of the field hospital served as an
example for other countries providing assistance to the Rwandan refugees
in Zaire.
Official Zaire visitors to date include the Prime Minister, the Minister
for Social Affairs and the Chief-of-Staff, as well as representatives of
international organizations, among them the WHO representative, who
expressed a desire to cooperate with Israel. The High Commissioner for
Refugees who visited the area praised the work and efficiency of the
Israeli delegation. The hospital has also been visited by various
non-governmental aid agencies operating in the area.
Hospital
In coordination with the UNHCR and the Zaire government, it was agreed
that the IDF hospital would treat Rwandan refugees and not residents of
Zaire (who are referred to the Zaire hospital in Goma) or Rwandan military
personnel. This notwithstanding, every person who comes to the hospital
receives the necessary treatment.
In the course of the first 12 days in Goma, the IDF team received 1215
patients at the hospital emergency room, of whom 723 were hospitalized.
Fifty-five persons died, of which seven were pronounced dead on arrival.
Sixteen operations and surgical procedures were performed, as well as
several births.
The incidence of cholera is gradually declining. There is a growing number
of cases of severe dysentery, pneumonia and meningitis. The hospital has
been supplied with the appropriate medicines from Israel.
In light of the large number of orthopedic operations, the relief team has
been augmented with an additional orthopedic doctor and the necessary
surgical equipment.
Children
The State of Israel donated to UNICEF 80,000 measles vaccinations to help
immunize the many children in the refugee camps.
Following the visit of Israeli Environment Minister Yossi Sarid to the
UNICEF camp located near the IDF hospital, the hospital 'adopted' the
orphans there. It was agreed that children requiring medical treatment
would be brought to the IDF hospital and would return to the UNICEF camp
following treatment. When the IDF field hospital was first opened, the
UNICEF staff had requested treatment of a group of ten orphans, one of
whom was in critical condition. Following treatment in the hospital, his
condition improved markedly. All the children were later returned to the
UNICEF camp.
Medical Centers
In addition to the field hospital, an ambulatory center comprising two
doctors and two medics was opened in the Katindo camp. This center was
closed at the end of the week, after all the refugees in Goma and its
environs were transferred to the large camps located outside the city.
Cooperation with Other Organizations
The Israeli operation was conducted in full coordination with UNHCR, both
logistically and medically, through its Geneva offices.
Cooperation between the IDF mission and the various organizations in Goma
has found expression in a variety of ways:
The Dutch government recently sent a medical team which was coopted to the
IDF team. An Israeli doctor participated in an operation in the French
army hospital, and a French surgeon subsequently took part in an oepration
carried out in the Israeli hospital. All those involved in medical aid
cooperated in transferring the sick and injured from the refugee camps to
the hospitals, in an organized manner. A Swiss pilot has volunteered to
fly emergency cases to the Israeli hospital by helicopter, though this has
not yet been necessary.
The Second Team
On Wednesday, August 3, an air force plane left Israel carrying, in
addition to 25 tons of supplies, additional medics and the relief medical
team. This team, numbering 86 persons, will remain in Goma for two weeks.
Donation Campaigns
Magen David Adom (the Israeli first aid organization), in cooperation with
the Israeli government, established a fund for collecting donations in
Israel. In addition, the UNICEF branch in Israel began a donation campaign
for children. Money collected will be transferred to the UNICEF central
office. In addition, Jewish communities throughout the world have
expressed interest in donating money and articles for the refugees. Means
of transferring these donations are currently being studied.