Ethiopia: Hospitals see surge in war-wounded patients as fighting resumes

The renewed conflict in Tigray has raised concerns about the safety of civilians and their access to health care.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has increased activities in Ethiopia amid a resumption of fighting in the northern region of Tigray. The renewed conflict comes after a period of increased tensions, including large-scale fighting and drone strikes, and shatters a fragile 2022 peace agreement.

As the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and allied forces clash with the Ethiopian National Defense Forces, MSF teams are seeing an increasing number of patients at hospitals we support. Between September 22 and 25, the number of war-wounded patients received at Korem and Alamata hospitals surged from roughly 180 to more than 420 within just 48 hours. MSF has also supported an influx of patients at Suhul Hospital in Shire, northwestern Tigray, where more than 300 war-wounded patients arrived by September 25.

MSF teams continue to support medical services in hospitals in Shire, Sheraro, and Korem, including maternal and child health care. Due to the fragile security context, MSF has suspended operations at Alamata Hospital as well as outreach activities. Staff have been redirected to provide additional support to hospitals where we are seeing a sharp increase in war-wounded patients.

As people flee the fighting, MSF is monitoring the displacement situation in communities and preparing to respond to the needs of displaced people in the Tigray, Amhara, and Afar regions. We remain concerned for the safety of civilians during this period of increased fighting, and their access to lifesaving health care.

Across Ethiopia, MSF supports health facilities in Oromia, Somali, Amhara, Tigray, Afar, Gambella, and South West Ethiopia region, providing primary, secondary, and emergency medical care.