By Adam Ali.
Benghazi, 7 January 2015:
Benghazi Medical Centre is struggling to provide even the most basic services because of the almost . . .[restrict]constant power outages occurring in the city, the Libya Herald has been told
On a recent tour of the hospital, medical personnel revealed that even the generators at the hospital have faltered during the long power outages, outages that sometimes last for three days. This has led to an inability to run the sterilisation equipment and washing machines.
Even when there is generator power, it was said that the power was only enough to run one sterilisation machine at a time, meaning the doctors and nurses frequently ran out of usable instruments.
At least one of the washing machines had broken, possibly from the surges that sometimes occur when electricity returns after a cut. Besides linens, these machines are used to wash the protective garments worn during surgeries.
“We contacted the company responsible for the repairs of the washing machines and they said they would send someone. Until now, however, no one has come,” one hospital official said.
Additionally, the hospital is facing a shortage of supplies and workers.
Nonetheless, the hospital continues to operate as best it can, if statistics from its obstetrics department are any indication. In the first half of December alone 844 babies were born at the hospital, 329 of these delivered by caesarean section.
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