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. By ADRIEN BARBIER (AFP)
Wet beds are empty in waterlogged toilets, workers march down the halls with rubber boots, and a foul odor pervades the air: the main hospital in Beira is devastated by when it is most needed.
The once-majestic main building of Mozambique's second largest hospital is now destroyed. Part of its roof is torn, flooded rooms and cracked walls – the terrible work of tropical cyclone Idai.
The storm fell last Friday in central Mozambique, carrying winds of up to 194 kilometers per hour.
Beira, a port city of half a million inhabitants, was on its way. And the vast hospital that makes its pride lies within 100 meters of the sapphire waters of the Indian Ocean.
Urgent cases arrive at the Beira airport but hospital doctors are struggling to cope with the influx of refugees: blood and diesel supplies are dwindling, and medical facilities are becoming more expensive. operation were destroyed. By ADRIEN BARBIER (AFP) Roofs were ripped off in many of the hospital buildings and the ground floor rooms were flooded to a depth of 30 centimeters (12 inches), forcing the evacuation of some services.
Communications and electricity were cut off and the roads connecting Beira to the outside world were washed away or flooded.
Wreckage of operating rooms
The hospital, which serves 2.2 million people in Sofala province, now operates at just over a third of its capacity.
"We do not have a choice, either we send the patients home, or we admit them under these conditions," AFP Abu Julio, a hospital administrator, told AFP. in the hallway of the hospital flooded.
The director of the clinic, Ana Tambo, said that the hospital was still accepting new patients despite the wreckage.
"We have injured people in flooded areas, and yesterday we received 48 people from Buzi, and today we expect to receive more, and in five days we hope to receive more than 1,000 people." she said.
Roads connecting Beira to the outside world have been flooded or destroyed. By ADRIEN BARBIER (AFP) Surgery is one of the biggest headaches: the block that houses the operating rooms has been heavily damaged.
"We only intervene in very dangerous situations, only for pregnant women, cesarean section," said Marcos Quittino, one of the surgeons.
"The risk of infection is high," he said.
The nursery was evacuated before the cyclone.
With all the electrical pylons knocked down, the hospital is running on a generator – and the diesel reserves are dwindling.
"It's very difficult to manage, we do not have electricity since the cyclone, our diesel reserves are in the red, we need more to save lives," Tambo said. .
More than 60% of the hospital buildings have been totally or partially destroyed, according to Julio.
Decrease of reserves
The hospital's blood bank has been destroyed and very few units are still able to undergo a transfusion.
"The hospital had about 500 units of blood in reserve and only has 100 units," Tambo said.
Detailed maps showing the extent of floods in Beira, Mafambisse and Tica in Mozambique. Valentina BRESCHI (AFP) The shortage is a threat of dominoes throughout the province, as smaller hospitals in the region normally supply them to the central hospital.
As a teaching hospital, more than 800 students were trained in nursing and other health disciplines, but clbades were suspended. This too will have a ricochet effect.
"We will have about 100 final year students who should graduate in July," said Kizito Comissario, director of the training institute.
"This will cause serious problems not only in Beira, but throughout the province, as local hospitals are waiting for the health technicians we are training here."
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