South America HEST October 2019
We've recently returned from running two HEST courses in South America, a first for the David Nott Foundation! Held in Santiago and Córdoba, these back to back courses drew in 52 surgeons from all over the continent, expanding our global network of war doctors and improving the quality of trauma surgery in regions where gunshot wounds, stabbings and motorcycle collisions are commonplace.
Bringing in doctors who work in public hospitals across South America, this four-day course aimed to equip surgeons with the necessary skills for dealing with cardiovascular injuries and ballistic wounds, as well as the vital decision-making skills needed for mass casualty scenarios and obstetric emergencies.
Our Faculty, comprising Ammar Darwish, Pete Matthews, Ana Milena Del Valle, Carlo Brugiotti and Carlos Pilasi Menichetti delivered specialised skills stations and inspired our surgeons to feel more confident about working in austere and hostile environments.
One such surgeon who benefited from training on decision making in trauma surgery, was Libertad. The only female, Jewish surgeon in all of Chile, Libertad told us: "Sometimes, when I am faced with a trauma patient, I just think, 'What can I do? What should I do?', but this course has massively boosted my confidence in making these decisions and now I will think 'I know what to do.' "
Another of our surgeons was Patricia from Venezuela. Alongside dealing with daily trauma injuries in her public hospital, Patricia has also spent extended periods of time volunteering in the Venezuelan Amazon, treating patients with limited access to hospitals and medical care.
Shortly after attending our course, Patricia went back to her public hospital and shared the knowledge she learnt on HEST with her colleagues. This skills sharing is a key aspect of what the foundation strives to achieve.
Through this global network of doctors, we can raise the standard of medical care worldwide and continue to save more lives and limbs. To help us train even more surgeons, you can donate here.
War Doctor Heroes: Meet Dr Lucien
Our global network of #wardoctorheroes is at the heart of everything the foundation strives to achieve, and we are proud to introduce Dr Lucien Wasingya Lusenge from Uganda in this latest instalment.
When Lucien was just 3 weeks old, he contracted a febrile disease and his health deteriorated rapidly. His family were beginning to lose hope, and he was referred to another hospital 20km away.
It was here that a volunteer from MSF correctly diagnosed Lucien and successfully treated him in under a week. Lucien's father told him this story dozens of times as he was growing up, inspiring Lucien to become a surgeon and dedicate his own life to saving others.
In April of 2018, the Foundation awarded Lucien a scholarship to come to London and attend our specialised course, Surgical Training for the Austere Environment (STAE). The course greatly boosted Lucien's confidence in dealing with trauma patients and improved his decision-making skills for surgical emergencies. Lucien said, "After only five days, I was able to gain the confidence to handle surgical, obstetric and gynaecological emergencies with limited equipment and resources."
The skills learned on this training course have enabled Lucien to save the lives of countless people, including many victims of traffic collisions on Masaka Road, a dangerous stretch of highway that claims 200-300 lives annually.
In September, Lucien was able to journey to London once again to present his research, and paid David Nott a visit, to thank him in person.
The courage, dedication, and selflessness of doctors like Lucien inspires everything that the Foundation works for, but we cannot do it alone. You can help us to train even more surgeons and save more lives by donating today, and spreading awareness.
BBC Radio 4 Today Programme
Following our September STAE Course, David Nott and one of the Libyan surgeons we trained were featured on the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme with Mishal Husain. Referred to as 'Sara' to protect her identity, this surgeon spoke to David and Mishal of how she, and other doctors working on the front lines of conflict, are often placed in situations for which they are ill-equipped.
When the Libyan Uprising began in 2011, Sara was a fourth year medical student. Many of the experienced nurses and doctors had left the hospital at this time, leaving the junior doctors and medics to take on everything. Often finding herself alone in the emergency department, Sara was confronted with hundreds of casualties each day.
The STAE Course (Surgical Training for Austere Environments) was set up by David Nott in 2013 to train surgeons, like Sara, to work in austere and hostile environments, where there are often drastic shortages of medical supplies and resources.
During the course, Sara learnt that "you can manage and do operations without much equipment” and in the future, she hopes to take her expertise to field hospitals, because "that's where they really need me."
You can listen to the full story here - skip to 2 hours 40 minutes!
Charlotte Makes the Jump for her 70th Birthday!
After constantly reading about the heartbreaking impact of barrel bombs and landmines on the lives of children and families, Charlotte Wilson decided to do something different for her 70th birthday. Instead of presents and material things, she bought herself a tandem skydive and invited her family and friends to Perthshire to watch her make the jump, all in aid of the David Nott Foundation!
We are absolutely thrilled to announce that Charlotte's bravery has raised over £1000, which is enough money to train a surgeon on one of our overseas HEST courses. This surgeon can go on to save countless lives and share the skills they've learnt with fellow colleagues working in austere and hostile environments.
Charlotte is also delighted with the result: "I did it! I did it! I raised enough to train a doctor and I couldn’t be happier! The jump was an amazing experience and I had the most beautiful weather."
If you're doing something special to raise money for the Foundation, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We love hearing from you.
War Doctor Heroes: Meet Dr Youssef
In this latest instalment of our #wardoctorheroes series, we're proud to introduce Dr Youssef Saab from Lebanon, a surgeon who works just 3km from the Syrian border.
We first met Youssef in 2018, when he attended our overseas HEST course in Beirut. On this specialised surgical training course, Youssef learnt the importance of damage control when dealing with mass casualty incidents. Since then, he has implemented this procedure five times to great success, saving the lives of many patients. Inspired to join MSF, Dr Saab now sees between 50-60 patients each day in the Bekaa Valley refugee camp, close to the border.
Unfortunately, the majority of his patients are child refugees, who, having fled from war, now deal with chronic wounds and burns. As Youssef explained: "War is not just about the acute wounds. Wounds that have not been properly treated, which become infected or that fail to heal properly can be just as deadly."
Alongside these chronic wounds, electric shocks and hot water burns are also commonplace as conditions in the refugee camps remain hazardous, especially for young children.
Dr Youssef recently joined us on our London based STAE course, where he was able to enhance his knowledge across several key areas, including trauma obstetrics, plastic surgery and orthopaedics.
Our War Doctor Heroes series celebrates our global network of surgeons, working in some of the world’s most hostile and austere environments. Their selflessness and bravery inspires everything that the Foundation strives to achieve.
To help us train more surgeons like Youssef, you can donate here.