At least 21 deaths in Nampula

Nampula (Mozambique), 26 Dec (AIM) – Cachimo Molina, the general director of Nampula Central Hospital (HCN), the largest health unit in northern Mozambique, announced on Wednesday that rioting in Nampula in the previous 38 hours resulted in at least 21 deaths.

Four of these deaths occurred in the hospital, and 17 in local communities.

During this period 480 patients had entered the hospital, of whom 116 were suffering from injuries inflicted during the riots, from gunshot wounds or from other types of weapons.

Surgeons and orthopaedic doctors had to work long hours to deal with this sudden wave of injuries. 31 of these patients were hospitalised, said Molina, and four of them are in intensive care.

“Our greatest concern is with those who are in intensive care”, he added. “The doctors are doing their utmost to save them”.

One of the main obstacles is transporting doctors and other medical staff between their homes and the hospital, because of the barricades erected by rioters protesting at the fraudulent results from the 9 October general elections, supposedly won by the ruling Frelimo Party and its presidential candidate, Daniel Chapo.

“We are using the means of transport that we have, which are the ambulances”, said Molina. “Right now, we have three ambulances taking the medical staff we need to the hospital”.

Staff who usually reach the HCN in their own vehicles have been unable to bypass the obstacles created by the rioters. “So, the number of professionals in the hospital has been reduced”, said Molina. “Obviously this means that those inside the hospital are working longer hours than they should”.

The HCN is also in danger of running out of blood. Molina said the hospital now has just 70 units of blood available, a tiny amount for a central hospital, particularly at this period of end-of-year festivities and violent rioting.

In a normal situation, the HCN would need more than 200 units of blood. “To give just one example”, said Molina, “on Tuesday we used more than 35 units to save people”.
(AIM)
RI/sg/pf (344)