“We are practicing medicine in near war-like conditions,” says a bitter nurse, who was waiting for the truck carrying oxygen to arrive in front of the gate of Mustapha-Bacha Hospital, the capital’s largest health facility, on 29 July.
She became more stressed with each passing minute as the prognosis of her relative, who was in intensive care, was life-threatening. All Algerian hospitals are experiencing an influx of patients that exceeds their capacity and are facing an oxygen shortage that has proved fatal to a large number of patients.
Paradoxical situation