By Victor Akaa, Abuja
The President of Medicins Sans Frontiers International, otherwise known as Doctors Without Borders Dr Christos Christou has said, his organisation has over the years engaged in programmes and activities of alleviating the pains and suffering of the victims in the conflict prone areas.
Dr. Christou stated this on his first visit to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS),Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai in Army headquarters, Abuja.
He said, the organisation has engaged in giving humanitarian and medical services to the victims of conflict in the north east and other parts of the country irrespective of any political, social, and religious background with a full regards of medical ethics of the organisation.
“The whole objective of the organisation is aimed at alleviating the suffering of the people that are most in need based on our medical ethics. Our medical ethics means impartiality, treating everyone no matter what is the religion, the race, the region they come from”. He explained.
According to Dr. Christos, the organisation’s activities has spread across over 80 countries in the world, while in Nigeria, he explained that they have delivered thousands of babies and treated different kinds of ailments including Lassa fever across the country.
Christou maintained that, even though a lot of successes were recorded in the face of dwindling insecurity challenges, the organisation would achieve more with the assistance of the Nigerian troops in the area.
“The fact that our team continue to run hospitals despite continued insecurity in that region.
“However, this is to account for internally displaced persons in Maiduguri and elsewhere clearly illustrate the immediate challenges we face.
“There are people who have been displaced for years, others for days, others for months but their health were greatly affected..many think there are no places like home, medically, I express my solidarity with those people in this condition.
We want to continue to engage and work together with army to improve our response and to facilitate our effort where ever possible.
Our team are ready to do more with the provision of the needed security.
Responding, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai appealed to the organisation to devise effective strategies for capturing and reaching out to more displaced persons in the North East, and other conflict zones across the country.
Represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans, (COPP) NA, Lt. Gen. Lamidi Adeosun, the COAS further applauded the contribution of humanitarian and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in alleviating the pains of the victims in the conflict ravaged prone areas.
He however charged them to always carry out their responsibilities impartially and neutrally, adding that they must also operate with understanding and caution without any form of interference in order not to endanger their aid workers’ lives.
“I believe that all of us are aware of what the security dilemma is in the conflict zones.
“I urged the organisation and other NGOs to remain neutral in their operations in providing succor for the victims.
“We know that in conflict situation, your organisation needs the security to be able to provide the needed services without comprising neutrality.
In conflict, the terrorists don’t take into cognisance what it takes to attack anyone because they are only trained to kill.
We still gave to find a way to handle this security dilemma especially in the far remote areas”. He stressed.
