Training Syrian doctors treating earthquake victims
We are joining forces with Action for Humanity (AfH) to train Syrian doctors in the surgical skills needed to treat and rehabilitate those injured in the recent earthquakes in northwest Syria and Türkiye.
New reports from UOSSM International confirm that many survivors are facing ongoing issues with serious wounds inflicted by the earthquake that require surgical attention.
To support doctors treating these injuries and prepare them for any future conflict or catastrophe-inflicted injuries, we are travelling to northern Syria to deliver our Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) course. Over five days, around 30 Syrian doctors will be taught a broad range of surgical techniques that will help them treat complex wounds like those caused by the earthquake, such as crushed bones, large penetrating injuries, deep infection and amputations.
We will also train a cohort of Syrian surgeons to become surgical trainers and share knowledge with their peers, leaving a lasting, life-saving legacy in Syria long after we've left.
Action for Humanity provide aid and assistance to people affected by natural and man-made disasters and are partnering with us to run an operating mission in parallel to our teaching mission.
Together, we're calling for £100,000 donations to fund their joint earthquake surgical mission.
Professor David Nott, our Co-Founder, said:
“From my experience of volunteering in conflict and catastrophe zones for the past 30 years, I know communities can be left with devastating and complex injuries. What’s more, hospitals are facing limited resources, low blood stocks or reduced staff numbers.
Our surgical course is designed to educate doctors on the broad range of injuries seen in war and natural disaster, while empowering them with the skills needed to become competent trauma surgeons.
We’re also looking forward to helping some doctors become surgical trainers in their own right. Knowledge and networks are incredibly powerful. We hope it will help our Syrian friends heal from this tragedy.”
Elly Nott, our CEO and Co-Founder, said:
“The Syrian people have endured enormous hardship during almost thirteen years of conflict. The health system in northwest Syria was already fragmented and under strain, and there is no doubt this earthquake has stretched it even further.
The scale of this disaster demands international support that will have a lasting impact. We are honoured to be able to offer local doctors the opportunity to learn surgical skills that will help them better serve their own communities and heal the nation’s wounds.”
Othman Moqbel, CEO at Action for Humanity, said:
“Action for Humanity is once again honoured to be partnering with the David Nott Foundation for a surgical mission to Northwest Syria. Last month, after the devastating earthquakes claimed thousands of lives and flattened entire towns and villages, thousands were left with horrific injuries which require surgical intervention.
Before the earthquakes, this region was already facing an emergency of an unimaginable scale, now we have seen yet more disaster unfold and more need for medical support. Syria’s healthcare infrastructure has been decimated by 12 years of conflict, that is why medical care has been at the core of our work inside Syria for over a decade.
Together with our friends at the David Nott Foundation, we are calling on our supporters to help us send teams of experienced doctors to the region to volunteer their surgical skills and support in training of doctors on the ground. Through surgical education, we want to create a network of doctors, ready to help their communities recover from this tragedy.”
Support our earthquake mission today
“As soon as Russia invaded, we started seeing the wounded”
After troops crossed Ukraine’s borders in March 2022, Igor Belkin, a surgeon from Zaporizhzhia, watched our translated war surgery videos in a bid to better treat devastating wounds inflicted by the war. Last month, Igor furthered his skills and training during our latest HEST course in Ukraine.
Faculty Trainers in Zaporizhzhia and Lviv: Professor David Nott, Dr Pete Mathew, Dr Ammar Darwish, Dr Rachael Craven, Dr Ian Nesbitt.
“On the night of the 7th of May, the first attack on our hospital took place. Hospital walls and communications were damaged,” shared Igor. “After that, the shelling of Orikhov became even more intense. The hospital was shelled again later in May, which led to it being evacuated.”
Igor was forced to transfer to a military hospital in the field to continue treating the injured. Right from the beginning of the war, he and his team were faced with severe trauma injuries - many of which they had never seen before. Patients with internal and external damage caused by blasts, penetrating wounds and severe burns were entering their doors for the first time.
“I decided I needed to study combat trauma. A medical colleague told me about videos made by Professor David Nott.”
Armed with life-saving tools
Just days after Russia’s invasion, we ran a 12-hour surgical training course on zoom with former consultant neurosurgeon and author, Dr Henry Marsh. Together, David and Henry trained 573 Ukrainian surgeons, giving them surgical techniques, tools and tips for treating a range of traumatic war wounds. It was only when David lost his voice 12 hours in that the training stopped.
As attention started to mount around our online training, we created a series of surgical training videos in a bid to reach even more doctors in need of life-saving skills.
“It (the video series) was very informative, clear and concise. In just a few hours of viewing I grasped the main fields of trauma medicine - damage control and important techniques for cardiovascular surgery.”
Upskilling 114 Ukrainian doctors
Last month, David and a team of our trainers travelled to Zaporizhzhia and Lviv to deliver our HEST course. 114 doctors and anaesthetists were empowered with the knowledge needed to treat neurological, plastics, vascular, cardiothoracic, paediatric, orthopaedic and abdominal trauma cases – creating a powerful network of multi-skilled surgeons.
“I was very pleased to attend this course and meet David personally. I got very concise, practical information and was able to practice my skills and learn how to provide assistance in areas of medicine I don’t specialise in.
I’m grateful to David, his entire team, and the foundation for sharing their great experience and imparting their knowledge of medicine in war zones”
Before the course, I used to use a technique called a lateral thoracotomy which involves turning the wounded onto their side (entering the chest from the side). Given the fact that chest injuries can make patients very unstable, this sort of movement could worsen conditions.
Now, I only do thoracotomies while patients are on their backs. This is a far better method for both surgeons and anaesthetists to approach trauma injuries.
I also learned how to use external fixations to secure bones and now perform fasciotomies on patients needing urgent pressure release in the limbs.
This sort of knowledge, acquired from experienced frontline doctors like David and the team, will help me and my fellow Ukrainian doctors save more lives.”
We’re committed to training and instilling confidence in Ukraine’s doctors until the war is over.
Help us train others like Igor