Philippines: MSF provides care to the displaced fleeing the combat zones

Hugues ROBERT, Head of Mission in Philippines: "Since August 2008 and the rupture of the ceasefire between the government and the rebels in Mindanao, there has been recurrent fighting in the region. More than 200 000 people are still IDPs (internal displaced person) and they are staying in very poor and miserable conditions."

Q: Why did you leave?

A: We leave because the situation was very critical, there were bombs, shelling, I don’t know who was　shooting… bazooka, mortar, military. We went back to our place, we stayed maybe one day, bomb is coming.

Q: Was it a difficult journey to leave your home and come to the camp?

A: Very hard journey, we were walking. From Domina to here walking.

Hugues: "The conditions of living for these IDPs are very basic. Some of them are now stock along the roadside, on a kind of small shelters, which have been built up along the way. Others are now concentrated in secondary or primary schools. Infact the only safe zone were those people can stay are really limited and that’s why there is a very high density, because simply hundred meters away from the highway it is considered non-ceasefire zone and basically if you enter this area, nobody can guarantee for your security.

The MSF team is right now focusing its intervention in central Maguindanao and North Cotabato region were most of the needs are faced by the IDPs.We are responding and addressing the medical care in 10 different places. And we are taking care of more than 3000 consultations per week.

What the team is facing is basically recurrent collateral damages, victims, wounded coming to our structure, but also small children still suffering from acute watery diarrhea and dehydratation.

There is a mix of pure MSF mobile clinic and support to the local district health structures where we support both in staff and in drugs and medicines, because the medical authorities of the autonomous region and from the other regions have definitively tried to respond to those people but they are now completely exhausted after six months of hard work, six months of emergency needs.

MSF has really a role to play to enable them to bring their assistance to the appropriate level. In January 2009, our team is still facing new arrival principally from the place of Gundulungan and Midsayap were the situation remains tense. The situation is far from resolved, political situation is blocked, these population have no way to return back. Until the situation change and those people can really go back to their villages, could restart their living, we will still be facing this population in needs."