Much of the
tragedy unfolding in Derna is down to human negligence, says a Libyan doctor
who has relatives missing in the port city.
The problems
go a long back to the 42-year rule of Muammar Gaddafi, explains Dr Hani Shennib,
who is currently based in the US.
“Derna is
one city that has been constantly defiant to Gaddafi so he punished it very
badly. The city was eroded progressively - no schools and the hospitals were in
very poor conditions,” he tells BBC Newsday.
This neglect
continued after the 2011 revolution, when Gaddafi was killed and the country descended
into political turmoil that continues to this day.
Prior
to
Storm Daniel, Derna did not have "one single hospital that was
functioning", explained the medic, who is also president of National
Council of US Libya Relations.
A house with five bedrooms had been rented and was being used as a makeshift
hospital, he says.
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