EMERGENCY Hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan Reopens

Kabul - A young man of 22, who lost two fingers of his right hand when a stray bullet, fired by unknowns, hit him. And a man who caught a bullet in his arm, in the middle of the night, as he was coming to Kabul from Wardak province: "They stopped us along the road, they were Talibans, perhaps.  They robbed us, and then shot us. Allah Allah Allah. It hurts". His long beard black as night, he speaks from a stretcher in EMERGENCY's ER in Kabul, while the on duty surgeon examines the bullet hole: "Entry point and exit point. We're bringing him in."  Two common cases, two patients whose condition are not too serious. But everybody who works in EMERGENCY's hospital will remember them, will remember them as the first ones: today the surgical center in Kabul reopened its doors, after it had to suspend operations in Afghanistan for almost two months. 

It's hot today in the Afghan capital, filled with traffic and dust.  Outside the hospital gates, a group of relatives wait. Fifteen of them came along with Gul Mohammad; a nurse explains to them his condition, answers all of their questions, and asks them if they would be willing to donate blood. One of the cousins reminds the others that a while ago another relative had been hospitalized in the "shafakhana emergency", and the doctors had given him a lot of blood to save him. A small debate ensues, then three relatives head for the lab. "EMERGENCY is back!", smiles the nurse, as he shuts the red and white door.

The hospital hadn't announced its official reopening yet, but this morning everything was already in place and ready to admit the surgical patients and the war-wounded.  In the past few days word was circulating among the people in Kabul: the cleaners are back in the hospital, the doctors are back in the hospital.  Hundreds of turban-veil-chador-clad people came to look, to ask, to try and see if it was true.  And so it was.  The first group of employees - the old guard, those who have been with EMERGENCY since day one in Kabul - had already been at work for a few days.  The goal was to get the operating rooms, all hospital services and, for now, two wards, up and running.  The laundry ladies have been dispensing clean linens and kisses, "Thank you Allah, how great it is to reopen!"  Khanum Gul, who has no husband, but six children who are all blind after an explosion devastated her house in Kabul, wiped her tears of joy with her white veil: "I was so worried for you, for us all."