Makeshift hospitals treat casualties despite risks

After the Syrian army took over or shut down main hospitals in many rebellious towns and cities, a doctor in the town of Qusair has established makeshift hospitals to treat the ill and the wounded.

Qassem al-Zain, a Syrian physician, has set up a makeshift hospital in the town of Qusair bordering Lebanon and powered it by a generator due to electricity cuts in the area, after what he said was a raid by the army on the government hospital where he used to work. Here he treats people who are wounded and sick.

"Three months into the uprising, the army entered the hospital and kicked us out. So, there was nowhere left for the people to go to get treated. We had to set up this makeshift hospital with help from people who gave us humanitarian donations in order to treat not just those who are wounded but all the people who cannot go to a state hospital and people have no money to go and get treated in other places," he said.

"We have to change our location every now and then because once the location becomes known it becomes a target,” he added.


In the northern province of Idlib, injured protesters are examined by a nurse.

"I was in a protest carrying the independence flag. Assad's Shabiha (militia) who don't allow us to protest came and fired live ammunition. I was struck in my arm where a bullet hit the bones; the guys here, God bless them, managed to give us some basic treatment. All the people have serious injuries but we have no capability to get better treatment than this," wounded protester Abu Abdul said.

El-Hussein, a nurse, said he tries his best to treat the wounded but needs much better equipments than his present stock of bandages and other basic first aid equipment.


According to the United Nations, President Bashar al-Assad's security forces have killed more than 7,500 civilians since the revolt began last March. Meanwhile, the Syrian government said in December that "armed terrorists" had killed more than 2,000 soldiers and police during the unrest.

Speakers:
Qassem al-Zain - Syrian physician
Abu Abdul - wounded protester