TNAG-1546-FCO40-2110-International-Committee-of-the-Red-Cross-(ICRC)-proposal-to--1986 — Page 17

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One of the tents at the Peshawar field hospital (Thierry Gassmann)

of the ICRC by the Norwegian Red Cross, in Hayatabad on the outskirts of Peshawar, near the ICRC paraplegic centre. Four days later, after the tents had been pitched, the hospital was ready to admit 50 patients. If necessary, its capacity could be increased to 100 beds. Here minor surgery was conducted and post-operative care given while the main hospital was used as the casualty clearing station, for surgery and night work. On 12 September, 442 people 416 recruited locally were involved in

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Protection of captured

or arrested people:

a major concern for the ICRC

Eight visits were carried out to three Soviet soldiers still interned in Switzerland under an agreement reached, through the intermediary of the ICRC, between the USSR, the Afghan opposition move- ments, Switzerland and Pakistan. Under the terms of this agreement, the parties consented to a proce- dure for transferring and interning for a two-year period in a neutral country Soviet soldiers held by Afghan opposition movements. The procedure involved the application by analogy of the Third Geneva Convention relative to the treatment of prisoners of war.

On 23 October, one of these Soviet soldiers (who had been transferred by the ICRC two years earlier) left Switzerland for the USSR; by the end of 1985 two Soviet soldiers were still interned in Switzer- land. Within the context of the Afghan conflict, the protection of people who have been arrested or captured continues to be a major concern of the ICRC. It constantly reminds the parties involved of their responsibility as regards the physical and moral integrity of all the people detained by them; moreover, the ICRC expects all the parties to the conflict to provide it with every possibility to pro- tect and assist all victims everywhere, with full respect for the principles and practice of interna- tional humanitarian law.

these activities. On 12 September, 48 patients were treated in a single day, and surgical teams performed 17 opera- tions; 146 wounded were operated on in the main hospital during this time.

Between 1 and 12 September, 131 people were admitted to the two hospitals.

Two months later, on 6 November, it was possible to dis- mantle the field hospital because the number of wounded had decreased. Nevertheless, the main hospital continues to operate at full capacity and there are still two tents in the courtyard to admit new arrivals. During these two months some 500 Afghan war wounded were admitted to these two hospitals and 1,250 operations were carried out.

Manufacturing artificial feet in Peshawar

In February, the ICRC orthopaedic centre in Peshawar produced its first rubber foot. Until then, foot prostheses for Afghan amputees had been manufactured in Jaipur, India, and imported into Pakistan. Now that artificial feet can be made on the spot the centre is completely independent.

The amputees who come here are taken in hand either the same day or, at the latest, the next day. Two nurses and an assistant make bandages and provide the patients with hygienic care. In close co-operation with orthopaedic technicians, an assistant physiotherapist is in charge of rehabilitation. No amputee fitted with an apparatus by the ICRC leaves the centre before he can walk properly.

Pakistani Red Crescent: ambulances of hope

The wounded are picked up at six first-aid posts run by the Pakistani Red Crescent and financed by the ICRC. Mobile Pakistani Red Crescent teams treat minor casual- ties in these posts situated along the border at Parachinar, Miramshah, Wana, Badini, Chaman and Khar, and trans- fer the seriously wounded to the two ICRC hospitals in Peshawar and Quetta. The post at Khar was opened in June and receives the wounded who come from the Province of Kunar.

In 1985, 1,478 war wounded received first aid in these posts and 1,087 were evacuated.

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