Dear Nasser ,
Thank you for your ever continous support . Looking into the situation from this physical location and from the side of DMH team here in Egypt ; this is how i can see the place for internaional cooperation could be , in a rapid brainstroming in this rapidly developing situation ;
- International cooperation in case follow up across the multinational case referral routes : currently majority of injured and their companions , who arrive in ambulance from Gaza through Rafah Crossing , recieve first aid at AL Arish Hospital and then transported either by Air or Land routes to other Egptian Cities Hospital( Cairo , Ismailia ) , few takes an international case referral route to Saudi Arabia & Jordan so the need for international cooperation in providing psychosocial support for the injured and their families accros the 4 countries involved in this case referal process is crucial for follow up and succesful supportive measures .
- Capacity Building for Teams Buildig for Disaster Mental Health Professionals: multiple locations of cases ( 7 hospitals ) ,the need to provide the psychosocial support for the great numbers of helpers involved , the uknown progression that next days might bring , as well as the need for further contributions from psychoscoial teams the longer the situation remains , all this makes capacity building for more team members a very important need
- Online Technical Consultaions : The current situation being one of the worst in middle east since 1967 , and the uniqueness of the experience where mental health professionals here in Egypt has been working since the start of the crisis side by side to medical emergency teams , makes it dfinetly very useful to exchange experiences and recieve help and imporovement suggestions from international experts
- .Building Internmediate & Long term psychosocial support programs which is needed for cases that might remain longer here in egypt ; giving the amount of grief and loss the victims are facing ; ( Paraplegia for a 13 year old child ! , limp amputations in a 24 year old !), the amount of those who injurd ad died 531 died , more than 2500 , so you can imagine the need and amount of loss the families have
- International Meeting is needed for experts in the field at a certain stage : i believe at a sooner stage this is very important to organize the international work
- Gaza Community Mental Health Center Head Quarters has been shelled on 30th of Decemeber , since there is currently no electricty at Gaza , i doupt we can be able to communicate with mental health professionals to liase or get updated on how to cooperate and help on the case flow in and out , International cooperation is definetely needed to advocate also for the rights of those who actually suffer from mental illness in these crisis ( GMHCP has been shelled !!)
- Political declarations is needed from international organizations to help in stopping the attacks on Humanitarian Aid Targets ! and to facilitate the aid process : Rafah cross which is the only way to evacuate injured victims outside Gaza, has been shelled very frequently during the attacks ,3 of the Amulance staff are hit and died in gaza , this makes medical evcuation for injured through the rafah crossing only possible during safe opening for the crossing for passage of food and injured, i can tell you from here that it is only once we hear fire stops , we start to prepare our teams to start recieving cases and families
- Team Building for international cooperation for providing Psychosicial support on site at Gaza Strip once there is a cease fire agreement , or once the situation permits ,everyone hopes this can happen soon .
I believe this is very preliminary , i am looking forward for further responses .
Best Regards.
From: Nasser Loza <nl...@behman.com>
Subject: Re: Mental Health and the Gaza Crisis
To: fahmy...@yahoo.com, 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
Date: Saturday, January 3, 2009, 7:15 PM
Dear Fahmy,
I've received numerous messages of support for the Egyptian Ministry of Health and the Arab Federation of Psychiatrists. Please let me know what International Organisations, WHO, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, The World Psychiatric Association can do to help at this stage.
Best wishes
Nasser
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, January 03, 2009 9:49 PM
Subject: Mental Health and the Gaza Crisis
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 |
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