the toxic truth - Greenpeace

the toxic truth
Challenges faced by doctors
in the medical response
Despite major national and international
efforts, even where treatment was provided,
demand frequently outstripped the availability
of medical personnel and supplies. Medical
teams report being “overwhelmed” by the
numbers of patients.
“ during the peak period, throughout
September, we were seeing up to 600 patients
on certain days. … when we arrived at work in
the mornings, there were already long queues of
people awaiting us. Some people waited all day,
only to have to return the following morning,
which made them very frustrated. It was a
very difficult time. … Sometimes we ran out of
particular medicines and had to send people
elsewhere… ”
dR. Bleu
GP in the Abidjan military hospital during the crisis 251
While the scale of the medical emergency put
unprecedented demands on Abidjan’s health
system, the impact of the waste reduced
overall capacity, as medical and support staff
themselves fell sick or stayed away because
of the unbearable stench and its associated
health impacts. 252
A WHO assessment in mid-September 2006
noted that there were only three doctors to
deal with an average of 300 patients a day at
the Akouédo health centre, despite the fact
that there were many people living on and
around the Akouédo dump:
“ A great flow of affected people has been
registered; most of them are children and
infants. this health centre is located not far
from the biggest toxic waste disposal. the
ambient air is very prickly [for] breathing.
three medical doctors [have been] dealing with
patient management since September 12th
2006, but currently, this is not enough … the
population complains about the low quality of
253
patient management (long waiting). ”
There was also lack of essential medicines
and medical supplies. 254 In its evaluation of
the crisis, the Red Cross later also reported
shortages in its own supplies of medicines
during the emergency. 255
Doctors were additionally hampered by a
lack of information on the composition of the
waste. A doctor told Amnesty International,
“As we are not aware of the composition
of the waste – although we know it was
hydrocarbon and non-radioactive waste – we
had to do a symptomatic treatment for all the
symptoms. As a result we mostly used generic
medicine to treat symptoms related to the
toxic waste.” 256 The UN Special Rapporteur on
Toxic Waste and Human Rights, who visited
Côte d’Ivoire in 2008, also noted that, while
treatment was free, it was – in the majority
of cases – quite basic. 257 For example many
patients received paracetamol for pain relief
or antiseptic drops for eye problems.
Gaps in the medical
response
To the government’s credit, tens of thousands
of people were given free medical treatment
at access points all around the city. 258
However, in some cases, the government
failed to respond to requests for help for
several weeks. For example, it was only in
mid-September that mobile health units
were dispatched to Djibi village, even though
the head of the village had alerted the
authorities soon after the dumping that the
village had been badly affected. When the
authorities failed to respond to their requests
for help, the residents of Djibi organized a
sit-in on the Route d’Alepe, one of Abidjan’s
major transport routes, to demand medical
treatment and a clean-up of the waste next to
their village.
“ eventually we decided that the only way to
get help was to make ourselves heard. I believe
this was at least two or three weeks after the
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Chapter 5