CCHARM TRIP REPORT: GEORGIA AND AZERBAIJAN
Carlo di Pamparato - Marie Bennigsen
October 26th- November 2nd 2006

On 27 October Marie Bennigsen had a meeting with the director of MSF Georgia, Thomas Ballivet, and a Chechen surgeon who is also Ccharm’s main partner in Georgia). MSF have been active for some years in Georgia providing emergency medical aid, among others, to Chechen refugees in the Pankisi Valley neighbouring Chechnya. The aid consisted in providing medicine for our doctor’s surgical unit in the district hospital of Akhmeta (at the entrance of the Pankisi Valley) and the small surgical dispensary in Duisi (at the end of the Valley near the Chechen border), as well as paying for more complicated emergency operations in Tbilisi for Chechen refugees.
Unfortunately, for a combination of reasons – MSF’s mandate to operate in emergency situations, Georgia’s change to fee paying medical treatment, and a slowing down of migration - most international NGOs are planning to leave Georgia in the near future. MSF are due to close their operation at the end of 2006. According to Thomas Ballivet and the Chechen representative in Georgia, this would be a disaster for the Chechen refugee population.

Chechen refugees in Georgia

MSF confirmed figures provided by UNHCR of 1600 official refugees. This population has been forgotten by most international institutions and is left totally destitute and vulnerable and certainly unable to pay for medical treatment. Many are suffering from malnutrition and chronic respiratory diseases, including tuberculosis. According to Roy Wilson, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Tbilisi, Chechen children in the Pankisi Valley just die of weakness and cold in the winter months
Read about the improvements and the Needs at the following links:

Charm's projects

Needs

Watch the video of our trip

To conclude we can claim that we have made substantial progress during our visit: we have established an atmosphere of trust with our Chechen partners in Georgia and with the Georgian authorities; thanks to our immediate contribution the hospital in Akhmeta was able to open officially in the week following our departure. It is now accepting patients and performing operations( 19 operations were performed since the opening, one month ago). We have unabled the hospital to work for the following year without worrying where the money will come from to pay the surgeons, doctors and nurses.