Surgical Centre for War Victims in Lashkar-gah

At the epicentre of the Afghan conflict, a hospital for the victims of a war that continues despite growing public indifference.

In the south of Afghanistan, the conflict is out of control and Helmand province has become the most dangerous region in the country. The Taliban have intensified fighting in Musa Qala, Naw Zad and Kajaki, northern Helmand, to strengthen their control over opium production areas. At the same time, they have launched offensives in the villages of Garmsir, Nahr-e-Seraj, Nad-e-Ali, Nawae-Barakzai in an attempt to surround Lashkar-Gah.

The spread of fighting has often made movement impossible, even for ambulances, preventing victims access to care.

An ever-increasing commitment

In October 2016, fighting arrived just a few miles away from the capital. In that month we recorded the highest number of injuries since the opening of the hospital in 2004: 375 patients admitted for a total of 759 surgical procedures. Even today, there is daily fighting between the Taliban and the army: “They always bomb at night, 4-5 km from here” says Roberto, one of our nurses.

To respond to the emergency, we expanded the hospital in 2016 with new physiotherapy and medication rooms.

In order to aid the population of remote villages, we have, over the years, opened a network of First Aid Posts in the area, most recently in 2016 in Shoraki, a village in the Lashkar-Gah belt.

The training of Afghan staff

Like the hospital in Kabul, the Lashkar-Gah hospital was also officially recognised by the Ministry of Public Health as a Training Centre for emergency surgery and traumatology. During 2016, six Afghan surgeons continued their training courses.

A sign of peace

The EMERGENCY Surgery Center for Lashkar-gah War Victims is dedicated to the Italian journalist and peace advocate Tiziano Terzani.

For more information

Project Sheet: EMERGENCY Surgical Centre for War Victims in Lashkar-gah, Afghanistan