Geneva - Five weeks after violent clashes erupted in the south of Kyrgyzstan, despite an apparent return to a more peaceful situation, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) doctors, psychologists and nurses continue to deal with cases of violence on a daily basis. More concerning still, the capacity of victims to receive adequate health care differs according to the community they belong to.
“Every day, in our mobile clinics and health facilities with which we collaborate, our medical teams treat patients who have suffered heavy beatings or who even show signs of torture. Many people, especially from the Uzbek community in Osh, are not going to hospitals as they are afraid of being arrested,” says Andrei Slavuckij, MSF Program Manager for Kyrgyzstan.
Since the start of the current crisis, MSF has provided over 1,400 medical consultations through four mobile teams in and around Osh and Jalal-Abad. MSF has also been supporting 25 health structures with donations of drugs and medical equipment. Today, thousands of people are still in a state of deep shock after the extremely violent and traumatic events that took place in June. Mental health needs are immense and MSF is increasingly focusing its action on psychological support.