Cairo, 24 November, 2011. Six days of unrest in Cairo and other Egyptian cities have left dozens of people dead and many more injured.

In Cairo, violent clashes have concentrated around Tahrir Square, where the situation remains tense. Egyptian volunteers are working in field hospitals to provide medical care to the wounded. The Ministry of Health is running mobile clinics, providing ambulances, and has mobilised nearby hospitals to treat casualties.

A team from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been visiting Tahrir Square on an almost daily basis, and is in contact with Egyptian healthcare professionals who are working in the field hospitals, as well as with the public hospitals which are receiving the bulk of the casualties. MSF has made some donations of drugs, medical and surgical items to four hospitals in Cairo.

The MSF team has also been in regular contact with health facilities in Alexandria and Suez, where violence has also been reported, visiting both cities and donating material to Suez general hospital.

Over the past months, MSF has been working with Egyptian volunteer doctors and providing training on treating the wounded.

MSF is continuing to evaluate the medical needs in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez, and remains ready to provide more medical support if needed.

“We have been made aware of one field hospital that has had to shift locations more than once, owing to tear gas inside the premises, and of one patient requiring protection from other parties while being treated,” says Mario Stephan, MSF’s country representative in Egypt. “We would like to reiterate that hospitals and health facilities must be respected by all parties so that medical care can be provided to all patients who need it.”

MSF is an international medical humanitarian organisation present in Egypt since 2009. MSF is currently setting up projects with the aim of assisting Egyptian and migrant populations in Cairo.