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'___, NAT ttillllltlut 'il il' FACTORY 8110!} euauze we sp - Tifict'orttr Slum 1,t(,iviiiriiii,k, ifhe place to be foe drew Coutw Iovevu Tie Calden m wmgs. Steaks & Tex-Mex n tyour Lurmm STORE HOURS Mom-Wed. 10-8 Thurs. Fri, 10-9 Slums-y H Open Sundays away into the darkness. They knew they were in the wrong part of town By the time Byme arrived in Baidoa. members of Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) had pulled out of Somalia because of constant threats to their safety. "Their guards turned on them, lined them up against a wall, and after a mock 'execution' forced them to lie on the ground and eat stones," explained Byme. "We were fortunate that our guards were very well paid by the IMC - better paid than the hospital administrator." The IMC also had to pay off warlords to ensure the safety of the hospital. Conditions in the hospital were unspeakable by Canadian standards. battle casualties were brought m. Byrne selected those for treatment depending on the severity of their wounds and whether they were treatable. But by the next morning, all but two of the patients had stolen "And politics you do not discuss." His hospital survived probably because it treated patients from all clans. One night, the staff were called back to the hospital when 21 There was little to do in the com pound but chat and read. Food was meagre but adequate - cans of beans, pasta and "mystery meat" - either goat or camel. Nobody asked "In Somalia, you learn not to ask too many questions," Byme said. experience. I dures that an only doctors Somalis. were demically, but experience. M Guards paid more than hospital administrator) 'ere under-qualified a but made up for it by . Many tackled proce are normally handled tlr the hospit p, He usually saw 30 patients in his 10-hour day. operating on about 15 of them. "Much of the surgery was not too complicated. You know what caused a gunshot wound - it didn't matter if their grandmother a transfusion, blood was donated by his relatives, friends, or a hospital worker. Pathological samples were sent to Paris for analysis. "We had a form of anaesthetic that only left people half conscious, but no anaes- thetist," Byrne said. Although oper- ating room staff usually wore caps and masks, gowns were rare and many did not wear gloves. trucked into the hospital daily. Since the war, utilities such as electricity and water supplies had been cutoff. The hospital had no X-Ray or other diagnostic facilities and no blood supplies. If a patient required Byrne has photographs of the oper ating room - walls and floors stained by blood and dirt, no glass or screens in the windows, and flie everywhere. Doctors used laundry detergent to scrub at small sinks an “Another volunteer doctor took one look at the conditions in the hospital and took the first flight out.99 Dr. Alan Byrne “VIE he Wat tt Il iB Ther " B n 1n tim onsid ********************ott***xctctt***otctctctt* In 27 Different Sizes To Choose From sun suns li SATURDAY, JULY 24TN 2 When he first returned to Canada, Byme was reluctant to talk about his experiences. "There was an incle- vance to everything here," said Byme. "I didn't think that people would understand - the social isola- tion, the constant background of ter- tor, wondering if you would step on a land mine, or be hit by a stray rock or bullet, waiting for the hospital to area a month later that it hit me - the enormity of the personal danger and the scale of the problem is hard to digest." Byme left behind his wife, Karen - a law student, and his two small children. Karen said she always believed he would come out alive, but she was concerned about him getting sick or injured. As it was, Byme lost 20 pounds. "Another volunteer doctor took one look at the conditions in the hospital and took the first flight ering the lack of facilities and the sanitary conditions, it is amazing how many patients survived." We sell verticals, venetians and pleated shades at self. "Even o hesitant. It w ut M" vae 48 M 72" " 54" 36 4_th' M" Since 19 omt 22 PASTEL DECORATOR COLORS VENETIAN BLINDS A National Trustco Company PREMIER TRUST thsT L VBLINDS "1kiis':t" 'lr-airs:;:.--) I i"Li'i)i:'s BLINDS 410 Speers Rd., Oakville, 338-2603 VERY, VERY LOW PRICES! Hunter Douglas Vinyl 48" 24" It E E Upper Sixth Plaza 1500 Sixth Line, Oakville 55580413 56 55 48 " M 53 a bomb fell nearby t some trepidation him- m the flight there, I was asn't until I left the 1 later that it hit me - , of the personal danger , of the problem is hard Showrooms in London, Stoney Creek, Brantford, Guelph Kitchener, Hamilton, Burlington and Oakville Monday-Wednesday 10-5:30 Thursday 10-6, Friday 10-9 Saturday 10-5 M" 30" 65 61 63 55 56 53 BLIND WIDTHS M" I 42" 72" Ei] 117_1 L11 73 M 61 65 71 tlM WIDTHS e It was a personal challenge, m ', knowing the country or the Ian- guage or what to expect. (He ok learned one survival phrase in Somali - 'Sian Biri' - come back five days to have the stitches take out). Byrne knew that by going to m- such a hot spot, his personal insur was ance would be nullified. "For me, the personal achievement was tha - did it. There were many times wh ger I thought of throwing it in. Would ard do it again? Yes, I definitely will it again. But not in Somalia." iren Many observers say the only ll hope for Somalia is for the UN forces to disarm and round up the e, warlords and try and restore a nor; I mal government - not an easy tasl] , With actions such as those towards helping agencies like Medecins l ada, Sans Frontieres and the 23 UN l '. his Pakistani soldiers who were killedl V in an ambush, Somalia is getting a reputation for being a place wherel ) foreigners are not welcome. In _ tla- Baidoa, the only place foreigners ter- are welcome is in the hospital. Ant on as the British news magazine - Th ock Economist - put it rather bluntly, to Somalia is fast running out of med shelf life. E El 83 82 65 70 78 73 Take advantage of these VERY, ERY, LOW PRICES! FABRIC VERTICAL BLINDS Includes one-way draw tracks, bottom weights and installation hardware. 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