“Another night shift is over for the CADUS team in our Mosul TSP. After the breaking of the fast, when it's getting dark and temperature is falling a little bit, gunfights are starting again. It's almost certain that there will be another high influx of patients during the night.
At this point, our team has already been working for 14 hours straight at 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in a dry, dusty climate with lots of patients to care for and all the other regular tasks: getting water and beverages, the logistics of our camp, restocking of the TSP supply cabinets and the cleaning of bloody instruments.
There is a service schedule for the night shift, but it's rather symbolic. If something happens, it's usually a serious incident, meaning 3 or 4 badly injured people arrive simultaneously and the whole team is needed once again. When there are no patients to care for, everyone is trying to rest a few minutes. Mosquitoes, heat and the recent experiences often make it difficult to relax and rest.
We just made a quick group picture… and realised the whole team doesn't really look “fresh“ anymore. Nevertheless it's a great pleasure to do this important work here with such wonderful people.“