By Samuel Studer
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The situation in the worn-torn city of Kunduz, Afghanistan got a little more difficult. The aid organization Doctors Without Borders withdrew from the city. Doctors Without Borders was one of the last providers of health care in Kunduz. They are also the only free trauma center in Northern Afghanistan. They are leaving the city after an airstrike on Saturday killed 22 people, including twelve staff members and ten patients, of which three were children.
There has been a tremendous outcry that an American aircraft carried out the airstrike. The closing of the hospital will leave very little medical care. Going to a nearby hospital might not leave enough time for the patients to be saved. Medical care is extremely important for this city that has become the center of a fight between the Taliban and government forces. President Obama on Wednesday called and personally apologized to Doctors Without Borders president Dr. Joanne Liu. He touched on the investigation being done into the strike.
On Tuesday, General John Campbell said that the hospital was hit accidently during the strike. According to Doctors Without Borders, the hospital was hit for another 30 minutes after Washington was informed the hospital was being struck. Will this apology be enough to change the minds of Doctors Without Borders’ officials? The organization called this strike an “attack on the Geneva Conventions.” This would require an investigation if an international law had been violated. Liu feels that even though this has never been used it should now. Her disgust and anger can be seen in the statements she is issuing.
The loss of life is extremely important especially for an organization whose goal is to save lives. The hospital should never have been hit and precautions should have been put in place to protect the hospital. If a mistake was made, then bombing should have stopped after Washington was alerted that the hospital was being bombed. The United States should be held responsible for this mistake. An independent party should perform a full investigation because then no cover-ups are possible. The thoughts of innocent lives should be considered before an air strike. Procedures should be followed and the necessary conditions should be met before a strike is performed.
Yet it is not ethical for Doctors Without Border to leave patients without reliable health care. Many of the clinics in this area are not equipped to handle intensive care. If conditions continue as they have, many patients will die because they did not have access to proper healthcare. Many patients are leaving because the situation is so extreme, with a lack of water and food. Now to add to the trouble there is no health care options available. Doctors Without Borders is already established and should be held responsible for the community they are taking care of. They cannot leave patients in dire need of care without any options. If they want to leave they need to come up with a plan for current residents. The ordeal was horrible, but leaders must come to a solution and not let this situation happen again.