Our action in response to the Israel-Gaza war
As a humanitarian organisation delivering surgical training to doctors in regions affected by conflict and catastrophe, we have been devastated by the recent escalation of violence in the Middle East.
We have been in contact with our partners, including Juzoor and Action for Humanity, local faculty of trainers, and those we’ve previously trained, to gather a comprehensive picture of the injuries being encountered and needs of medical professionals on the ground.
Reports reveal that many healthcare facilities are under severe strain. Emergency departments are under immense pressure, with growing numbers of trauma injuries due to shellings, shrapnel or collapsed buildings. Supplies at blood banks and basic medical resources are also running low.
Our action
To support hard-to-reach medical professionals at this time, we:
Turned our world-class surgical training course into a series of short videos that can be watched in their own time. We’ve shared our English and Arabic videos with local doctors across the region.
Shared our videos with local partner medical professional networks, ensuring even more doctors in need can benefit from the resource.
Invited local doctors to our global case study discussion forum to share patient cases and gain advice from peers around the world.
Exploring a bespoke discussion forum for doctors affected by this crisis, where our faculty of trainers and others can offer advice and surgical guidance more personally.
As the emergency unfolds, we will continue to monitor how best to support doctors under pressure until we are able to deliver our surgical training course in person.
Elly Nott, our Co-Founder and CEO, said:
“We are appalled by the violence and loss of life in Israel and Gaza and extend our condolences to all who have lost loved ones.
Following the attacks, many are contending with injuries of vast complexity, scale and intensity.
Healthcare workers should be able to deliver life-saving care to their communities free from the threat of violence and parties should uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.
Access and protection for humanitarians delivering assistance to those civilians affected is essential.”
Royal Parks runners help us train more doctors
We are continuously amazed by our supporters. This year's Royal Parks Half Marathon saw many of our supporters take to London's streets to raise thousands for doctors living and working in the world's most dangerous corners. Thanks to their determination, doctors in territories such as Ukraine, Yemen, Palestine and Syria will receive the surgical training needed to treat traumatic injuries and save lives.
Our photographer and videographer, Lucy Lyon, swapped her camera for trainers and took part in the Royal Parks Half Marathon with her brother, Duncan. Together, the pair have raised over £3000 for our mission.
"It was an amazing day in many ways. Golden leafed London parks with warm sun, every shape and ethnicity, age and gender moving along side by side, in a steady tide, for thousands of different causes.
Everyone smiled, no one pushed or shoved. There was a human tree, and a very hot lion, tiger, and a bear. Even a rhino. A man with a fridge on his back, and people in wheelchairs.
The supporters were everywhere, drumming and cheering us along. It was a morning well spent and all the while jogging along beside me was my little brother.
We agreed that running that distance together was more like running with a pet - a silent but constant companion. And the best bit about running in your late 40s is the gratitude you feel to those legs and feet for their constancy and power.
We have so far raised enough to support the training of at least two surgeons from a conflict zone, who will go on to save hundreds of lives in their region."
If you'd like to set yourself a challenge or raise funds for a cause that changes the lives of communities in conflict, get started today. Thank you to each and every person who supports our mission.
41 Syrian doctors upskilled to screen and treat women with cervical cancer
Dr Saladin Sawan, Consultant Surgeon in Gynaecological Oncology and one of our faculty trainers, recently returned from a surgical mission in Idlib, Syria, upskilling 41 surgical residents and specialists to screen for and treat women with cervical cancer. Here, Dr Sawan shares his hopes for healthcare and future training in northwest Syria.
Syria remains engulfed in a complex humanitarian crisis. Over a decade of conflict has forced more than 12 million people to flee their homes and left displaced communities with reduced access to food, shelter and protection.
Cancer under the radar
Due to a buckling healthcare system and greater focus on other urgent needs, many are not seeking or receiving the cancer screening, diagnosis or treatments they need. Medical professionals also face challenges with transferring patients over the border to Turkey, which means cancer patient numbers in-country are growing.
Cervical cancer is preventable and curable, as long as it is detected early and managed effectively. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is the 4th most common form of cancer among women worldwide.
Our faculty trainer, Dr Saladin Sawan, travelled to Idlib to upskill Syrian surgeons to offer the best possible surgical care for patients with gynaecological cancers including cervical cancer.
“During my mission, I delivered gynaecology training to a group of doctors. Every day, we practiced surgical techniques. We used chicken thighs and a cutting-edge mannequin, provided by the David Nott Foundation, to practice performing cervical smears, colposcopies to assess the cervix for cancer or pre-cancer changes, and diagnostic punch biopsy, in addition to safely performing treatments for pre-cancer cell changes, in the form of loop excision (using heat to remove cells). Each doctor had hands-on practice and then we put skills to the test in operations.”
Dr Sawan trained 41 local doctors during the mission, which will improve cancer patient care while strengthening northwest Syria’s healthcare system in the long-term.
“I performed approximately 14 surgeries of different magnitude, some small procedures, some far more complex, for example radical hysterectomies for cervical cancer patients and debulking surgery for women with ovarian cancer. We used operations as teaching opportunities for local doctors – residents were assisting me and watching over my shoulder. We trained anywhere between three and seven obstetrics and gynaecology residents per day. Some doctors followed me, but I made it my goal to visit as many hospitals as I could to deliver training to those who could not travel. I was very happy.
I felt appreciated amongst a family of doctors and health professionals who looked after each other to deliver the best they could for their patients in some of the most difficult circumstances. I was certainly privileged to have had the chance to be with them.”
Eliminating cervical cancer
Due to ongoing conflict and accessibility issues, doctors in northwest Syria have limited access to training. The province also lacks a screening programme for cervical cancer prevention and early detection, leading to increased numbers of cases that require complex, radical surgery.
“WHO launched an Elimination of Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative, which mainly targets low-income countries. The local doctors are really excited about establishing this program for women in Syria. They know the benefit, they believe in its value and importantly they feel it is only right to do since women disproportionately suffer the results of human papilloma virus infection which causes cervical cancer, unlike men. This would promote healthcare equity.”
In his training, Dr Sawan actively encouraged the local doctors not to fear making mistakes.
“Doctors become more confident and patients as a result will be safer. We strive for the doctors to test, try, play, make mistakes. The intention is that the doctors are more competent by the time they perform the operation on patients.
I am lucky to be part of the David Nott Foundation where the emphasis is also on building local expertise and sustainable care by training local health professionals in crisis areas. The donated equipment and surgical instruments meant I was able to deliver comprehensive training without compromises.”
Glimmers of peace
“Around me in Idlib, despite being in a region struck by war, there were people trying to rebuild their lives. Developing roads, restaurants opening, people moving into the city. People have started to live their lives – the dust of war settling and communities trying to get their lives back.”
Since Dr Sawan’s mission and apparent signs of a healing community, the Regime has targeted 45 cities and towns in four days, killing 52 and injuring over 240, according to an October recent report led by Assistance Coordination and Information Management Units (ACU, UMI). Despite glimmers of hope, northwest Syria remains in the thralls of conflict.
What’s next?
As unrest continues, the need for training and sharing of knowledge remains. We are committed to upskilling even more obstetric and paediatric residents in northwest Syria, but there’s much more to do.
“Outside of returning to deliver more surgical training, we also want to deliver dedicated cervical cancer screening training to residents,” shares Dr Sawan.
On-the-ground partners have also identified other, urgent areas of need.
“A local humanitarian organisation, the White Helmets, are looking to develop training for paramedics, including resuscitation and emergency obstetrics, gynaecology and neonate training. To make sure we provide the right training material for paramedics, we want to speak to them to understand exactly what their needs are in the field.”
We’ll continue to do all we can to support medical professionals in Syria.