International Medical Corps deploys to Georgia to address humanitarian need

International Medical Corps

Los Angeles, Calif. – International Medical Corps (IMC) is deploying staff into Georgia to help address the needs of populations affected by the conflict with Russia that erupted last week over the breakaway province of South Ossetia.

International Medical Corps will be conducting an emergency needs assessment in Georgia, in coordination with the United Nations and international and national NGOs to determine how best to aid the region. Following an earlier assessment in North Ossetia, IMC found the population in need of non-food items including clothing and blankets, as temperatures already have begun to drop. While local doctors are providing medical services, the displaced also are in need of mental health support.

“With the large number of displaced throughout the region, our team is working at the international and local level to identify the most pressing humanitarian needs in Georgia, as well as in North Ossetia and Abkhazia, to determine how best we can assist the most vulnerable populations,” says Ben Hemingway, deputy director of international operations for International Medical Corps.

The Georgian government has indicated that those displaced by the fighting are in need of food and medical supplies, and is requesting that health care services be provided in fixed locations, such as clinics, in and around the capital of Tbilisi. International Medical Corps is identifying the optimal means of transportation to access Tbilisi; there currently is extremely limited access to Gori and Abkhazia.

With health infrastructure heavily damaged in the fighting, International Medical Corps also will be assessing the need for reconstruction. In North Ossetia, International Medical Corps is planning to distribute donated supplies, and will be aiding in the provision of mental health activities.

Government sources suggest that some 100,000 people have been uprooted by the ongoing conflict. According to local authorities, up to 12,000 could have been displaced in South Ossetia and another 30,000 may have fled to the Russian Federation. Another several thousand South Ossetians are expected to have fled into Georgia, according to Georgian government officials.

The violence has also sparked population movements within Georgia. In Gori, just south of South Ossetia, local officials told a visiting UNHCR team on Sunday that up to 80 percent of the population – some 56,000 people – had left towards Tbilisi. According to the Georgian Red Cross Society, at least 1,000 displaced people have found refuge in public administration buildings, schools, and other public places in Tbilisi and another 2,000 in other regions of Georgia.

International Medical Corps has worked in Russia since 2000, with programs in North Ossetia for the past two years. IMC provides youth education and vocational training in seven Russian republics, including Chechnya and Ingushetia, as well as Stavropolskiy Krai. In addition to education programs, IMC also provides health care services in Chechnya and Ingushetia. IMC also has extensive experience in Georgia, providing health care, micro-lending projects, and education programs for nearly a decade.

Fighting in South Ossetia began last week when Georgia sent warplanes and troops into the area. Russia responded by deploying troops across the border and arming Georgia’s other debated state, Abkhazia. More than 1,600 civilians are believed to have been killed. While a ceasefire was declared Tuesday, Russian troops have are still present in Georgia.

Georgia has struggled with two Russian-backed breakaway states since it gained independence in 1991, with South Ossetia in the north and Abkhaiza in the northwest fighting to become fully autonomous. The two regions use Russian currency and 90 percent of South Ossetians hold a Russian passport.

Since its inception nearly 25 years ago, International Medical Corps’ mission has been consistent: relieve the suffering of those impacted by war, natural disaster and disease, by delivering vital health care services that focus on training. This approach of helping people help themselves is critical to returning devastated populations to self-reliance. For more information visit our website at www.imcworldwide.org.