Mental Health and the Gaza Crisis

[fahmy bahgat]

Dear Colleagues and Very Best Friends ,          While i am typing this email , i have been following the news like everyone else in the world today , and we just knew that Ground forces just started to enter our The  Gaza Strip. I am sitting away from cold weather next to one of ambulance workers  inside one of the few dozens of  ambulance cars parking at Al-arish General Hospital in North Sinai -Egypt , 45 Km away from Rafah Crossing were injured survivors and there families has been using during the past few days. Since day one of the Gaza Crisis , our Disaster Mental Health Team from Ministry of Health -Egypt has been working together with Emergency Physicians at this hospital and at the borders . Our work currently include working with the victims ( if possible) , family members who arrive with them , as well as  helping the helpers . Experts from Mental Health Secretariat at Cairo are receiving the evaluation from the team here for follow up of the cases at Cairo and Ismailia Hospitals where the majority of cases are currently being transferred to . Communication has started through the Arab Federation of Psychiatrists in both ways with Mental health Professionals at Gaza and in the Arab World for further contributions in psychosocial support regarding this crisis . I would like to catch this opportunity to thank HealthNet TPO for their training at the London School ,the Knowledge i gained there , i now can easily see , is  of extreme benefit while i am doing my duty here .Thank you again . I am sending this email and i am looking forward for further communication between Disaster Mental Health Professionals on the current situation that has been described as the worst in middle east since 1967 War.                            Best Regards.                                                                        Sincerely ,                                                                       Dr. Fahmy Bahgat

[akili consultants]

Dear Fahmy,

From far away I can only offer you my heartfelt feelings of sympathy, feeling at the same time the hopelessness and helplessness you must experience and share with your colleagues and patients, not knowing what is to come.

I hope you will be able to find support among yourselves and will be granted time to recuperate and bee supported when all this is over. Vicarious traumatisation should not take the few good people doing the work.

 

Regards,

 

Rolf Schwarz, psychiatrist

Bussum, the nETHERLANDS

 

 

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[Boris Budosan]

Dear Fahmy,   I am following the crisis in Gaza on TV every day. I hope you will find strength to assist the survivors in the best way you can, and please do not forget about yourself as well.  Since I come from the Balkans, I very well know what the war is, and I truly sympathize with Gaza people. Since I am also a public health oriented psychiatrist, please let me know if you need any assistance from my side. I know that psychiatry in Egypt is good, so most probably the survivors have good-quality psychatric assistance.   Sincerely   Dr.Boris Budosan, M.P.H. psychiatrist   --- On Sat, 1/3/09, fahmy bahgat <fahmy...@yahoo.com> wrote:

[Ingeborg Missmahl]

Dear Dr. Fahmy Bahgat,

I am sending you my inner support and best spirits and I hope that you and your colleagues find the strength and support which enables you to cope with the situation.

If you need other support from the distance please let me know.

Working in Kabul for the last 5 years and having seen the effects of war I can easily imagine what you experience in the moment and how difficult and challenging the situation for you and your colleagues must be.

Best greetings

Inge Missmahl

[hntpo mansehra]

Dear Fahmy,

 

Aslaam ale qum,

 

We here in Pakistan are very much in touch with media about the situation in Gaza. We here not only equally share the grief and suffering of our Palestinian brothers and sisters but believe that brave nations like the Palestinian have the capacity to deal with such traumatic events. I would suggest one thing here only that although you are having the professional capacity to deal with this situation but try to stronger the belief of your clients in their religion and ask them to be more closer to Almighty ALLAHA they will definitely feel the relief in their pain. 

For any professional help do not hesitate to contact me any time.

 

Kind regards

Akhtar Hussain 

Program Manager

HealthNet TPO

Pakistan 

 

2009/1/3 fahmy bahgat <fahmy...@yahoo.com>

[Florence Baingana]

Dear Fahmy,

 

Thank you for the update, I was wondering whether mental health had been included in the response, how it is being provided etc. Thank you so much for all that you and all the others are doing in this very difficult time.

 

As most of the others have said, I hope you will all include a time for debreifing, I would suggest a schedule that allows some time out for each of you in turns, when you are not even on-call. It is an emergency, but unless you all take time to look after your own mental and physical health, eating right, regular exercise, the stress will take its toll and impact on the good work you are doing.

 

You are in our thoughts, if there is any way I can provide support, do say, and I am sure we shall all do what we can to support you.

 

Let us all pray for a quick resolution to this round of violence and for lasting peace in the region.

 

Florence

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From: Mentalhe...@googlegroups.com on behalf of fahmy bahgat
Sent: Sat 1/3/2009 10:49 PM
To: halab...@yahoo.com
Cc: benp...@yahoo.co.uk; alma...@yahoo.com; kristjan.ar...@garle.se; f_ba...@hotmail.com; beaudou...@yahoo.fr; neerjac...@hotmail.com; azoi...@hotmail.com; duku...@yahoo.com; mha...@unfpa.org; zhi...@imcworldwide.org; shil...@gmx.de; Shruti....@gmail.com; fnanc...@yahoo.fr; emman...@yahoo.fr; ogwenged...@yahoo.com; drokel...@yahoo.com; preeti...@kcl.ac.uk; Mayapa...@googlemail.com; hntpo.m...@gmail.com; asmama...@yahoo.com; stham...@yahoo.co.uk; psycho...@mail.com; k.stel...@uke.unihamburg.de; hannahs...@googlemail.com; Jacquelin...@gmail.com; mfve...@orange.nl; pe.wu...@web.de; pbo...@jhsph.edu; ljo...@imcworldwide.org; mjo...@healthnettpo.org; MrLa...@aol.com; Vikram...@lshtm.ac.uk; j.m.ri...@umail.leidenuniv.nl; egbert....@lshtm.ac.uk; wt...@healthnettpo.org; wil...@healthnettpo.org; mentalhe...@googlegroups.com; nl...@behman.com

Subject: [MHFS] Mental Health and the Gaza Crisis

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Disclaimer:  5/1/2009

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