Troops raid hospital

Press, 30 November 1982, Page 8

Troops raid hospital

NZPA Beirut Lebanese Government troops had seized at least 5U5250.000 (?NZ350,000) worth of drugs from a hospital serving the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps as part of a campaign ,to end the Palestinian presence in Lebanon, said the hospital’s director.

The Gaza Hospital medical chief, Dr Amir Hamowr, said that Lebanese soldiers had broken into the hospital's storage facilities twice, loaded trucks with medical equipment and drugs, and drove away.

“They took all our anaesthetics. They ’ got all our antibiotics,” said Dr

Hamowr. The soldiers had, given no explanation. A Lebanese Army spokesman indicated that he knew of the incidents, but refused to comment further. “They want us to stop working. They don’t want anything Palestinian in Lebanon,” said Dr Hamowr. The drugs came from the International Red Cross and other international aid agen-.. cies, and from donations by ■ countries including Italy and Saudi Arabia., The 100-bed hospital, which has about 70 patients, is on the edge of the two refugee camps that were the scene of the massacre in September of hundreds of

, Palestinians civilians by Right-wing Christian militiamen. . -The hospital is one of the institutions run by the Palestine Liberation Organisation before it left west Beirut last (northern) summer in the face of Israel’s invasion. In negotiations on the withdrawal of P.L.O: forces from northern and eastern /Lebanon, the P.L.O. is insist- ■ ing that the/Lebanese Government guarantee that such institutions be allowed to continue serviing Palestinian civilians who stay. The Government wants to disperse the Palestinians among the population, with no special privilges or services.