The primary hospital in Finote Selam town, located in the capital of the West Gojjam Zone in the Amhara region, has ceased its operations due to the heightened levels of violence and insecurity that have plagued the region in recent months. Medical practitioners at the hospital have also been facing pressure from government forces, who accuse them of treating Fano militants.
The hospital has ceased operating since this past Saturday, and more than 120 of its personnel have been dispersed, BBC Amharic reported. According to hospital sources who spoke to the BBC, the hospital was running on a generator after a power outage caused by a prolonged attack. Eventually, it was compelled to cease its services when the generator was damaged by heavy artillery. The hospital stopped operating this past Saturday, and more than 120 of its staff members have been scattered, according to the report.
The escalating clashes between federal forces and Fano militants in the region have placed considerable strain on hospitals, health stations, doctors, and health workers. The relentless attacks have notably destroyed the capacity of a primary hospital in Finote Selam, rendering it unable to carry out its day-to-day operations, BBC Amharic reported. After weeks of clashes in and around the area, the electricity supply was disrupted, and they have been running the hospital on a generator.
The hospital workers also reported being accused of providing medical care to “bandits,” and this has posed significant challenges for them in ensuring that sick and injured individuals receive the necessary care. The soldiers were harassing male patients receiving treatment at the hospital, accusing them of being Fano fighters, and some of them were taken away, a hospital worker told BBC.
Similar reports have emerged of threats and harassment aimed at medical doctors and nurses in Gondar following the clashes in the town last week. According to hospital sources, soldiers subjected two on-duty doctors at the Aira Hospital in Azezo, Gondar, to extended abuse, accusing them of treating injured Fano combatants. According to the report, the soldiers abducted one of the doctors and released him under the cover of night. In the main Gondar hospital, Chechela, four patients were forcibly removed from their beds, despite their insistence that they did not belong to any armed group and that they were hit by stray bullets.
