The Norwegian doctors had to wait. Actually, the plan was for them to enter Gaza early last week. But getting into the small, war-torn country is not easy. – They were told that they were guaranteed a place in one week. That is why we have postponed the entry, says senior physician and orthopedist Geir Stray Andreassen. He works as a project advisor in NORWAC (Norwegian Aid Committee), a Norwegian organization that sends doctors and health workers to conflict areas. He himself has been to Gaza 19 times, two of them this spring while the war was raging. – We just go and hope that there will be a ceasefire, says Andreassen to news. As horrific stories of war injuries, amputations and civilian suffering spill out, doctors ready to help struggle to get in. Orthopedist Geir Stray Andreassen examines an injured patient lying on the floor at the European Hospital in Khan Younis in January. Photo: Privat – Things you never thought you’d see A ceasefire would make it easier to get people and equipment into Gaza, says Andreassen. There are more things than the acts of war that make this extra difficult. It also makes it more difficult to recruit people to go to Gaza for NORWAC. – Norway is a small country. It is challenging to find those with the right skills, says Andreassen, who emphasizes that they receive many inquiries from people who want to contribute. He says that the need is greatest for orthopedists, surgeons, anesthetists and operating room nurses. – Then we would like to have someone with experience abroad. Who are used to experiencing and living in primitive conditions. Close to other people around the clock. At the same time, they must be robust, says Andreassen. The NORWAC team in Gaza in April. From left: Geir Stray Andreassen, anesthesiologist Fadi Kabbouli, orthopedist Odd Arild Ågedal and operating room nurse Alice Skår. Photo: Privat The doctors live and work in overcrowded hospitals that are surrounded by refugees. In January, Andreassen worked at the European Hospital in Khan Younis in the south of Gaza, a hospital the size of the Diakonhjemmet in Oslo. Nevertheless, 25,000 refugees had sought refuge there. Because as long as there are international doctors present, the hospitals are safe. But the bombs fall nearby, and the doctors have to deal with an endless stream of badly injured and traumatized patients and traumatized and exhausted Palestinian colleagues. – There are things you never thought you would see. It is clear that it makes a big impression, says Andreassen. Smoke rises from a bomb attack near the Khan Younis hospital in January. Photo: Privat In addition, the equipment is poor. Then it is important to be able to improvise. – It’s something I look for when I recruit people. After all, we are looking at anesthetists who have worked on helicopters. They are used to working alone and improvising under difficult conditions, says Andreassen. Will be there longer There are strict restrictions on who and what can enter Gaza. In May, Israel took control of the only border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the Rafah border crossing. Thus Israel gained full control over everything and everyone traveling in and out of Gaza. Twice a week, pools of international health workers are allowed into Gaza via the Kerem Shalom border crossing in the south, near the border with Egypt. Geir Stray Andreassen at the Al Awda hospital in northern Gaza in April. The hospital has suffered extensive damage after several attacks. Photo: Private – They started with one a week, but now they’ve got two. So there is very limited space, says Andreassen. To get to Kerem Shalom, you first fly to Amman in the neighboring country of Jordan. Then the trip goes by car through the Palestinian West Bank and Israel to Gaza. At the border crossing, all luggage is checked. – We are not allowed to bring any medical equipment. We always get things we would like to have with us. Like needle and thread and surgical equipment. We were denied that. We are only allowed to bring personal belongings. The floor of the European Hospital in Khan Younis had been broken up to bury the dead. The photo was taken in January when Andreassen was working at the hospital. Photo: Privat The challenges of getting into Gaza mean that the World Health Organization (WHO), which coordinates the international health personnel, requests that health personnel who travel in stay there for a longer period. This has made Andreassen’s job of finding Norwegian orthopedists in particular more challenging: – Many can arrange themselves off work for two or three weeks. But when it starts to be four, plus travel, it’s more difficult, he says. WHO: – Emergency aid into Gaza has been halved The World Health Organization (WHO) confirms that they are only allowed to transport medical equipment and fuel into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom border crossing. Fuel is needed for the hospitals’ aggregates. – The WHO requests that the restrictions that halt the delivery of medical emergency equipment, WHO writes in an e-mail to news. They are calling for the Rafah border crossing to Egypt to be reopened immediately. 46 trucks with emergency equipment are ready at the border. They contain, among other things, medicines, equipment for births, tents for field hospitals and surgical equipment. – Emergency aid into Gaza has been halved since Israel’s ground operation against Rafah began in May and the border crossing was closed, they write further. Of Gaza’s 36 hospitals, only 16 are partially operational: – There has been no functioning hospital in Rafah for over two months. More than 10,000 patients need to be evacuated to receive treatment that is not available in Gaza. Almost everyone wants to return. Doubling the length of the stay from two to four weeks also increases the burden on the doctors. Andreassen does not hide the fact that it is a concern. – Must one be explicitly told that it is a monotonous life. You have to adjust to having people around you all the time. A patient who has had both legs amputated receives treatment at the hospital in Khan Younis in January. These are typical injuries in war. At the same time, the work is experienced as meaningful, according to Andreassen. All but one who has been to Gaza for NORWAC will return again. Such an experience leaves a mark on people. Returning to everyday life can be a challenge. The health personnel who travel to Gaza with NORWAC are thoroughly prepared for what awaits them before departure. Afterwards, so-called debriefings await with WHO and NORWAC in Norway. There is also an offer to speak with a psychiatrist associated with NORWAC after the stay. Med Andreassen does not hide the fact that it can be difficult to get home. Hospital patients were evacuated from al-Aqsa hospital in central Gaza on Sunday. The hospitals are only safe as long as international health workers are present, according to NORWAC doctor Geir Stray Andreassen. Photo: Ramadan Abed / Reuters – You have lots of experiences, lots of impressions. But it turns out that you talk about it for five minutes. And then others start talking about what to have for dinner and these everyday things. I think many people feel that can be a bit difficult. He himself believes it is important not to think and ponder too much. It helps to have something to work on: – After all, I have the job at NORWAC. We are constantly trying to make plans and strategies for how to get people into Gaza. The hostages in Gaza have become pawns in a game. Can they ever come home? Published 28.08.2024, at 13.53 Updated 28/08/2024, at 15.53
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