First nurse to take on the position lacks ‘brave leadership’ to face the planet’s challenges
There is currently no doctor responsible for the Spanish division of Doctors Without Borders (MSF). Paula Gil, the new president, is a nurse and her access to that position is the result of legal reform. “It didn’t make sense that we couldn’t reach the board because we are a huge profession that has been working on the front line for years and every patient is cared for by a multidisciplinary team,” he says. The recently appointed NGO leader has visited Bilbao to hold a working meeting.
– In African countries like Zimbabwe, nurses often run hospitals.
– There are important differences between North and South. In places where there is a lack of doctors, the staff has to take on responsibilities that they don’t have here. Congolese, Central African, Sudanese or Yemeni professionals, with a very high level, have a great knowledge of local pathologies. Foreigners who come to these countries bring a vision of team management.
– The crises were huge and then came Ukraine.
– Unfortunately, we are needed more than ever. Last year there were 84 million forcibly displaced people, numbers never seen before. Ukraine represents an incredible geopolitical change. There are more and more needs and it is not possible to answer all these needs. The humanitarian aid system has collapsed.
– How do you deal with the crisis in a country as large and densely populated as Spain?
– It is a terrible war, with a high level of violence against the population and health infrastructure, and lack of access to certain areas. But the Ukrainian health institutions are good, unlike the Afghan, Yemeni or Malian institutions, which are enduring years of crisis and lack of resources. We focus on training them to cope with the massive influx of war wounded, something they are not used to. Fortunately, we do not see any refugee camps because Europe has opened its doors, although we are angry that this measure does not apply to people fleeing other conflicts.
– Humanitarian action is becoming increasingly complex because hospitals no longer only suffer collateral damage, but also become targets.
– The laws of war are not respected. There are attacks on convoys of refugees, hospitals or stations. The work of humanitarian organizations is also criminalised. In the Sahel, to get access to patients, you have to negotiate with armed groups and governments that associate us with them. The humanitarian space is shrinking and much more attention needs to be paid to security. Likewise, we are criminalized by associating ourselves with mafias and branding ourselves as facilitators of emigration.
– What are the global consequences of the conflict in Ukraine?
– Raining, it’s pouring. After years of crisis, war in Ethiopia, covid and the impact of climate change, we are faced with terrifying malnutrition statistics. Much of the population of the Horn of Africa depends on humanitarian aid for food and NGOs have no money. The consequences will be terrible.
– The crisis in Afghanistan has been completely displaced by recent events.
– The crisis is particularly painful. It deserved attention for four days in the summer and it’s over. Bank accounts were frozen when the Taliban arrived, and half a million jobs have been lost since then. With the improvement in safety, residents flocked to hospitals and impossible health indicators were discovered. Now security has gotten worse. The country does not raise its head.
– What does the future look like in terms of calamities?
– The outlook is not hopeful. We are changing the lives of the people we serve, but there is a lack of courageous leadership among those making the important decisions. The vision of ours predominates at first, there is no realization that there is no North and South, that everything is interconnected and that what is happening in Afghanistan today will soon have repercussions in Europe. The pandemic has taught us that there are no borders.
Source: La Verdad
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