Mobile Hospital for Northeast Syria
Published on 13. March 2020
from CADUS-PR
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Target country/region: Northeast Syria, (Iraq)
Period: August 2015 – May 2018
CADUS built a mobile hospital on two four-wheel drive trucks for emergency medical care of the northeastern Syrian population. The mobile concept allows for reachingremote locations while escaping combat operations. Since 2018 our partner organisation Heyva Sor has taken over the lead of the project and is using the mobile hospital in northeast Syria.
Project progression:
During our stays in the largely Kurdish-administered areas of northeastern Syria, also known as Rojava, as part of our medical training project, we recognized the urgent need for medical facilities.
Due to the dynamic front lines, increasing attacks on hospitals in the civil war country, and under-supplied populations away from the cities, we decided to take a mobile approach.
In late summer 2015, we began concrete planning and launched a fundraising campaign. With the support of many volunteers, we have cost-effectively converted two four-wheel drive trucks with trailers into a mobile hospital, including an operating room, a self-sufficient supply unit for staff and patients, and plenty of medical supplies. An additional all-terrain vehicle was purchased as an evacuation vehicle.
At the beginning of 2017, the work was completed and a first test setup was successfully carried out.
In April, the mobile hospital reached Iraq, where we had to wait for an indefinite period of time to cross the border due to the international embargo against Syria.
At the same time, fighting intensified during the recapture of Mosul from the Islamic State by Iraqi forces with U.S. support.
In view of the intensive fighting, the desolate medical care for the local population and the hundreds of dead and injured, we used the waiting time to operate a trauma stabilization point (TSP) in Mosul with parts of the mobile hospital.
The operation in Mosul was followed by others in Tal-Afar, Hawija, and Anbar.
In May 2018, we were able to cross the border into northeastern Syria and, after intensive training, handed over the mobile hospital to our partner organization Heyva Sor a Kurd (Kurdish Red Crescent), who have since been operating it on their own.
We thank all supporters and donors who made this project possible!
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