ICRC supports the treatment of more than 120 wounded in hospitals in Nord Kivu

Kinshasa, April 19^th, 2021 (CPA).– The international committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has registered more than 120 people injured at the General Reference Hospital (HGR) in Beni and at CBCA Ndosho hospital in Goma in following demonstrations and other violence in several localities in Nord Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to ICRC press release, a worrying influx of wounded by weapons in hospitals in Beni and Goma. ICRC has also provided medical equipment to other facilities receiving the wounded.

“Currently, we have reached our limits in reception capacity at HGR in Beni which has 43 beds and are nearing completion for CBCA Ndosho hospital in Goma which has 74 beds. The teams have been mobilized for more than a week to respond to this influx, ”explained the head of ICRC sub-delegation in Goma, Kelnor Panglungtshang.

According to their count, medical teams supported by ICRC were following 51 gun-wounded hospitalized at HGR in Beni, including 9 new cases linked to recent demonstrations.

6 other patients injured in similar demonstrations were also taken care of outside Beni city, in Butembo and Oïcha. In Goma, 36 new wounded arrived between April 12^th and 14^th at CBCA Ndosho Hospital.

These people were injured during the violence in the north of the city, bringing the total number of hospitalized patients to 68. In addition to supporting medical structures, ICRC remains attentive to respecting the medical mission, which remains crucial in such situations of violence.

Children have lost contact with their families during recent episodes of violence in northern Goma, reports ICRC, which says it is in contact with the Red Cross of the Democratic Republic of Congo to assess needs and respond to them as quickly as possible.

ICRC has been working in Nord Kivu province since 1993. It provides protection and assistance to victims of armed conflicts and other situations of violence. It supports several medical structures that receive and stabilize people wounded by weapons. The most seriously injured are transferred to Bethesda CBCA Ndosho hospital in Goma, where ICRC is deploying a war surgery program.