Update on Jung in the Land of Mujahideen - Emergency's Facilities in Afghanistan

[Sara]

Hi everyone,

Thank you to everyone who was able to make it to the first film in our
film series. As promised, I would like to provide you with
information about the current activities of the facilities featured in
the film. I have included a link to the Emergency website about the
medical program in Afghanistan and an April 2007 press release from
the organization. It seems that while Emergency staff and volunteers
left the Kabul hospital last year, the projects they implemented are
still fully functional due to the employment of Afghan staff trained
by Emergency. This is the last update I have heard. Finally, I have
included a few links to global and national campaigns to ban
landmines, in case this film sparked your interest in this
international health topic. Hopefully this information will help
answer some questions you may have had at the end of the film.

Thanks for your interest!
Sara

Information about Emergency's mission in Afghanistan
http://www.emergencyusa.org/nuovo_sito/pages/program_sections.php?section=1&program=3

Photos of the hospital and facilities from an Italian news source
(Press play for the slide show)
http://tv.repubblica.it/home_page.php?playmode=gallery&cont_id=85&fromgallery=85

Landmine Information
http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/landmines/
http://www.icbl.org/
http://www.banminesusa.org/

Press Release about the current status of Emergency in Afghanistan (as
of 4/11/07)
____________________________________________
Press Release - April 11th, 2007 - Emergency, USA

Emergency's International staff leaves Afghanistan

Today, Wednesday the 11th of April, on a special United Nations
flight, Emergency's international staff left Kabul for Dubai. The
reasons for this decision lie in the fact that Emergency's medical
staff found itself no longer able to follow the basic tenets of the
Hippocratic oath. Having been the object of disgraceful statements
doubting the neutrality of its humanitarian work, Emergency staff felt
their personal security had been jeopardized.

"....Aware of the importance and gravity of this oath and of the
commitment it entails, I solemnly swear... to treat all my patients with
equal scruple and commitment independently from the feelings they
inspire in me and irrespective of any difference in race, religion,
nationality, social condition and political ideology... ". After more
than 2000 years, the Hippocratic oath still sets the moral compass of
medicine solidarity within beneficence and justice. But for those
that practice the "either with me or against me" division of humanity,
even humanitarian neutrality seems culpable.

We are bewildered to see that the neutrality of humanitarian medical
care is being impugned as a reason for guilt and used to make
groundless accusations. What should be obvious and elementary for any
physician is being used as alleged culpability. But more than
ideology, the practical realizations of Emergency in Afghanistan speak
of its accomplishments: appreciated by all the Afghan citizens who
have come to know Emergency's care directly "on their own skin"
through the care received at its surgical centers of Anabah, Kabul and
Lashkar-Gah, its Maternity center in Panjsheer, the 28 primary health
clinics and first aid posts, including 4 clinics inside Afghan jails.

Since 1999, Emergency medical facilities have provided free of charge,
high-standard medical and surgical assistance to over 1.4 million
Afghan citizens. It is these innocent victims, their families, and
all Afghans that will witness to the humanitarian and neutral nature
of Emergency's work in Afghanistan , a work aimed at providing medical
care to everyone, regardless of their politics, gender, religion or
ethnicity. There seems to be interests today that intend to force
Emergency out of Afghanistan, using physical intimidation and
resorting to defamation: these, we believe, do not represent the
interests of the patients and of the civilian population in the
country.

While the International staff is temporarily withdrawn, Emergency's
medical facilities are, at the moment, working and operational thanks
to the devotion and, more importantly, skills of the Afghan staff whom
Emergency has trained. We are extremely proud of this level of
capacity. Building local health care capacity is in fact a hallmark
of Emergency's humanitarian programs around the world. In 8 years
Emergency has trained and employed more than 1,000 medical and
paramedical Afghan personnel. Emergency will continue to be close to
the sufferings of the Afghan people, of those millions of innocent
civilians who, for decades, have undergone the atrocities of war,
hoping that the conditions for the return of the International medical
staff to Afghanistan may be met again very soon.

We, Emergency USA, express our solidarity and support to our
colleagues at Emergency in Italy, around the world, to all the Afghan
and International medical staff, and in particular, to Rahmatullah
Hanefi, still imprisoned, incommunicado, with no charges.

Alberto Colombi MD MPH
President
Emergency USA
412.434.3111
in...@emergencyusa.org