New Zealand nurse fears for friends in Afghanistan

Hastings nurse Margaret Bryson had more reason than most New Zealanders to worry when she heard the news of military strikes against Afghanistan this morning.

Until just over a fortnight ago, Ms Bryson was the Red Cross health programme manager in Afghanistan, overseeing the enormous task of bringing health care to one of the world's most desperate countries.

"Our concern is of the great need of the people there, and the work that has been interrupted," she said.

Ms Bryson was one of the last New Zealanders to leave the country in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington.

One of NZRC's most experienced nurses, Ms Bryson's first assignment was in Malaysia in 1988. She has since worked in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Yemen.

Now she can only watch events unfold and think about friends and colleagues left behind, as an already dire humanitarian situation looks certain to become worse.

She said she was not in personal contact with Red Cross workers still in Afghanistan, but colleagues in Pakistan were in daily radio contact with them.

Before the evacuation in mid-September, the Red Cross had 50 foreign aid workers in Afghanistan.

There were still 1000 Afghanis working for the Red Cross inside the country, but many may have been forced to flee to safety, Ms Bryson said.

At times such as this they would have to look after their own families first, she said.

The technical expertise of foreign aid workers would be badly missed, with further large-scale displacements of people expected.

Refugee camps, water and food distribution systems would have to be set up in response to a rapidly changing situation, without much of the required logistical machinery.

Even before today's strikes, there had been reports of thousands more people fleeing the likely targets of Kabul and Kandahar.

Despite everything, she said the Red Cross was continuing its programme. Hospitals were still functioning and in the last week they had managed to bring a load of medical supplies across the border.

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HAWKE'S BAY TODAY