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It was a clear August morning at the Bwiza-Jabe Hospital in Bujumbura, Burundi’s main city. A 20-year-old carpenter from the Bwiza community was rushed to the hospital after being scratched on the forehead by a sharp stone. A local nurse, under the supervision of Alain Muluvia, a nurse from Doctors Without Borders (MSF), gave him first aid.
“The patient was hit by a stone thrown by a speeding car,” said Alain. “We have given him first aid but he needs internal and external stitches. Given the severity of his injuries, we will transfer him to Kigobe Ark Hospital.”
2,000 patients per month
The Ark Kigobe Hospital is a health centre established by MSF during the Burundi crisis in 2015 to treat patients injured in the violence. The following year, as cases related to violence decreased, we decided to also treat patients injured in accidents, and the number of patients has since increased from 200 to nearly 2,000 per month. Today, the centre mainly cares for victims of traffic accidents, burns and victims of sexual violence.
“Our patients come from all over the country. Currently, 90% of them are victims of accidents, especially road traffic accidents. Last year, we carried out 22,400 emergency consultations and performed more than 4,000 operations, almost 11 a day,” said Vincent Okolinkos, MSF project coordinator.
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