Global Health

Seven days of chaos in the ER: How this country's healthcare system is unraveling Updated November 10, 20267:48 AM ET Originally published November 10, 20267:48 AM ET

By 

Durrie Bouscaren

In northern Ethiopia, conflict pushes a strained healthcare system to the brink

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Betelhem, 10, lies on a bed next to her father at Ayder Referral Hospital in Mekelle, Ethiopia, on October 6, 2026. She was injured during heavy artillery shelling in Alamata. Fighting broke out between the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front and federal forces on September 23, sparking fears of a return to the civil war of 2020-2022 and putting tremendous strain on the healthcare system. AFP/via Getty Images hide caption