Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Ivory Coastâs Health System Collapses, MSF Steps in Joe DeCapua March 17, 2011 A man points to a burnt shop near Williamsville after a clash between Ivorian security forces and pro-Outtara fighters in Abidjan, March 15, 2011 Photo: Reuters A man points to a burnt shop near Williamsville after a clash between Ivorian security forces and pro-Outtara fighters in Abidjan, March 15, 2011 The medical aid group Doctors Without Borders says âintense armed conflict and political gridlockâ are taking a toll on Ivory Coastâs civilian population. The group, also known as MSF, is trying to fill the gaps left by a barely functioning health care system. Renzo Fricke, MSF emergency coordinator, says, âOur teams are really trying to be where things are moving, things are going on. For the time being, we are operational in two main areas, which are in Abidjan and in the western part of the country.â Injuries and disease âIn Abidjan, mostly what we see are civilians wounded due to violence or because of demonstrations or because of fighting,â he says. âThese are the wounded we see arriving in bad condition in general. In other structures where we run primary healthcareâ¦itâs basically to replace the health system that is completely non-existent for the time being. And in these places what we see, I would say, are regular diseases like diarrhea, children having malaria, respiratory infections and things like that.â Itâs estimated between 300,000 and 400,000 people have been displaced by the Ivoirian political crisis and violence. Many have sought shelter in the bush, far from standard medical clinics. Much of the fighting in Abidjan has centered in the Abobo district, where reports say there is only one hospital thatâs still functioning. Doctors Without Borders has staff there. Fricke says, âWe are working and trying to open more structures in Abidjan because we really think we can have an added value in this environment. In this hospital in Abobo, we have seen so far around 10 or 15 people per day woundedâ¦. In two weeks, these two last weeks, we had 130 wounded arrivingâ¦that we could treat.â He points out that the medical aid group is neutral in the crisis, allowing it to operate among opposing sides. âWe are respected by the population for that.â Itâs believed there are many people in Abidjan who need medical care but who are unable to get to a clinic or hospital. âAccess is very difficult. And of course itâs very difficult to get reliable data on people who donât access a health structure. But in any conflict setting and so on, we always know that only a part of the wounded or people in need of care actually reach a medical facility,â he says. Going mobile MSF is now running mobile clinics to bring medical care to where itâs needed, rather than waiting for patients to arrive at hospitals. âWe are running these mobile clinics in western Ivory Coast, also in Liberia, where there are tens of thousands of refugees, Ivoirian refugees,â says Fricke. In Abidjan, we are more focused on directly supporting hospitals.â MSF says, âThe commercial and financial sanctions imposed by the international community against Ivory Coast, coupled with transportation problems, have led to shortages in medicines and medical supplies.â The group says it has enough medicines for its operations, but the government is in short supply. MSF emphasizes that while itâs a large organization, it cannot replace the formal state health system in Ivory Coast. .