NGO worried about health of people in the south

Médecins du Monde has called on the international community to do everything possible to guarantee the protection of populations affected by the insecurity in southern Guinea and the satisfaction of their basic humanitarian needs. In a news release issued on Thursday, the international NGO also said it was worried at the health situation of some 250,000 refugees and IDPs in one of the worst affected areas, the Parrot's Beak - Guinean territory that juts into Sierra Leone. It said a Medecins du Monde team had had to treat deep wounds that had become highly infected, severe lung infections, malaria, and pregnant women in difficult situations. Médecins du Monde launched an emergency programme in Guinea's Forest Region, which includes the Parrot's Beak, in January. Its 46-member team - four expatriate doctors, two midwives and other foreign and local staff - has been providing consultations, distributing medicines, rehabilitating health centres and carrying out epidemiological monitoring, the NGO said.