MAP is sending small teams of leading NHS consultant surgeons on short missions to Gaza, where they work in partnership with Palestinian doctors to provide specialist care.
In November, two plastic surgeons and three orthopaedic surgeons from the UK spent five days working in Gaza, where they gave specialist treatment to patients with complex injuries. MAP devised this surgical programme during Israel’s attacks on Gaza this summer, when the medics we sent to Gaza found that the hospitals’ main need was for long-term support with reconstructive surgery. MAP has since worked with DfID and IDEALS to develop a programme that deploys leading consultant surgeons from the NHS to carry out specialist surgery in Gaza, while also training some of the local surgeons there in complex procedures.
The most recent visit, in late November, saw the surgeons visit Gaza at a particularly difficult time; with many people still homeless, Gaza residents now have to face the bitter cold of the coming winter. Gaza City has experienced severe flooding in recent weeks, and soon after passing through the Erez Crossing, MAP’s team of surgeons found themselves driving through deluged roads.
The surgeons’ schedule is always very busy and this trip was no exception. Soon after arriving in Gaza, the team met with local doctors to find out about the most pressing needs and plan how to best provide long-term support. They then participated in a symposium with 43 orthopaedic and plastic surgeons from Shifa and European Hospitals in Gaza. Building local capacity is one of the main purposes of MAP’s surgical programme, and the symposium enabled the NHS surgeons to share their expertise in areas of specialist surgery, such as upper limb injuries.
The UK surgeons also work directly in Al Shifa, the largest hospital in Gaza. At an outpatients’ clinic they saw 28 patients who had been selected by local doctors as requiring complex care. Based on these consultations, the doctors assessed which injuries were the most complex and accordingly needed surgery promptly; those patients were booked in for operations the same week.
The surgeons compiled the necessary equipment from their UK supplies and operated on six patients in Shifa Hospital during the week. They worked with Palestinian surgeons during the operations, providing training about how to use the specialist equipment which they then handed over to local surgical teams for ongoing long-term use. The UK team also regularly work with trainee surgeons and medical students on their visits, helping develop their skills.
Before leaving Gaza to return to the UK, the surgeons met with the hospital administrative staff and carried out post-operative reviews of the patients, providing notes on their required medications. They will follow up directly during their next visit to Gaza.
As well as providing desperately-needed specialist care, the surgeons’ also deliver essential surgical equipment to Gaza on their visits, usually carrying it in their luggage to avoid delays. On this visit the surgeons carried £100,000 worth of essential medical equipment to hospitals in Gaza, which could then be used immediately on patients.
The team will be back in Gaza in just a few weeks, ready to continue their vital work with Gaza’s hospitals. By working in partnership with local doctors and other medics, we can ensure that our surgical programme brings about a lasting change, making a long-term difference not only to the individual patients but also to Gaza’s healthcare system as a whole.