Zimbabwean doctors see big rise in cases of trauma in wake of political violence

doi:10.1136/bmj.a539

BMJ 2008;336:1461 (28 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.a539

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Zimbabwean doctors see big rise in cases of trauma in wake of political violence

Owen Dyer

¹ London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Zimbabwe’s doctors have been overwhelmed by the burdenof serious physical trauma in recent weeks, as thousands ofopposition supporters have been systematically beaten by militiamenloyal to Robert Mugabe.

The Zimbabwean Association of Doctors for Human Rights reportedlast week that its members had seen 1007 such patients duringMay, of whom 119 had fractures, in many cases multiple or compoundfractures.

"There has been a gross surge in both the quantity and severityof injury. Fracture cases alone increased threefold in numberfrom April to May," the association reported in an email sentto supporters abroad. "It is certain that a far greater numberof patients will have been attended to by other members of thehealth professions, especially nurses, but will never have beennear a doctor."

Opposition activists and civic groups complain that Zimbabwe’spublic hospitals have done little or nothing to aid victimsof political . . . [Full text of this article]

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