Posted on 11 July, 2014

Photo by Michael Goldfarb/MSF

The operating theater in  Doctors Without Borders’/Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF) hospital in the town of Leer in Unity State, South Sudan, was destroyed and ransacked.  Since armed conflict erupted in South Sudan in December, at least 58 people have been killed on hospital grounds, and hospitals have been ransacked or burned on at least six occasions. The hospital in Leer was the only facility providing secondary healthcare, including surgery and treatment for HIV and tuberculosis, in an area with approximately 270,000 people.

Photo by Michael Goldfarb/MSF

A stretcher looted from the  Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in Leer, South Sudan, lies on the edge of the town’s former airstrip, marked by fresh tank tracks. "The conflict has at times seen horrific levels of violence, including against healthcare facilities,“ said Raphael Gorgeu, MSF head of mission. “Patients have been shot in their beds and lifesaving medical facilities have been burned and effectively destroyed. These attacks have far-reaching consequences for hundreds of thousands of people who are cut off from medical services.” MSF’s hospital in Leer was destroyed along with most of the town in late January and early February. In May, MSF resumed some activities as people started to return to Leer. Staff members treated more than 1,600 children for malnutrition in the first three weeks alone. However, MSF is unable to provide anything like its previous services, including routine vaccinations and emergency surgery.