News from Tripoli - May 27, 2011
May 27, 2011:
News from Tripoli - A Report to Libya Alhurra TV:
The main concern now is for those with on-going conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and those on dialysis. There are next to no medications now. The doctors are really worried because they’re having to prescribe medications which are sometimes quite different from peoples’ usual medication. Many are not as good (a lot from China) and many people are suffering quite severe side affects, but the alternative is death so they have to put up with them. They are also having to reduce the doses which again is dangerous.
Diabetics are suffering because insulin has almost run out. They are having to use insulin out of its use-by date, which is very dangerous. As for those on dialysis, the doctors are really struggling. They think they wont be able to continue past another couple of weeks and then people WILL start dying. There is no alternative once they are dependent on dialysis.
Ordinary meds are in very short supply too and many chemists in Tripoli are out of many of the basics. To fill a prescritpion now is almost as time-consuming as queueing for fuel.
Most doctors are only reporting to their hospitals for 2 days duty a week. Again, this puts the inpatients in danger. Most doctors are very angry with the regime because they say the fuel shortage is what’s keeping them at home and the government has a resposibility to supply fuel for medical staff.
As for the situation in Zliten - it’s still very dangerous and the people are terrified. The streets are full of Gadaffi’s men and they are terrorising the people. No woman leaves her home AT ALL and it’s been like that for 8 days. Men who venture out face a long interrogation about where and why they are moving and sometimes they are taken away.
The situation regarding children in Tripoli. Many children are suffering mentally and many wake in the night, screaming.
