War Doctor Heroes: Meet Dr Binod
We are proud to introduce Dr Binod Dangal in the latest instalment of our War Doctor Heroes series, which celebrates our global network of surgeons.
Binod grew up in Sindhupalchok, a remote, mountainous village in Nepal. Thanks to the support of a volunteer teacher from Italy, Binod was inspired to study medicine and, after training abroad, he now serves the community in the Dolakha region.
Nepal often suffers from earthquakes and landslides, and the difficult geographical terrain creates a barrier for Nepalese people seeking healthcare, particularly in the rural regions. Binod's patients sometimes have to travel for hours along bumpy, winding roads to reach the hospital, where a lack of resources often presents another obstacle to surgical treatment.
In 2018, the David Nott Foundation was able to offer Dr Binod a full scholarship to our UK-based STAE course. During this specialised training course, Binod was taught the proper management of orthopaedic and vascular injuries in low-resource settings, skills that he was able to put to use almost immediately.
Indeed, the day after he returned to Nepal, a nine-year-old child was brought to his hospital with a broken leg. She had fallen from a height and her left femur was completely crushed. Using the skills learnt on the STAE course, Binod was able to repair the blood vessels, externally fixate the bone, and perform a skin graft to repair her leg.
“With patience, teamwork and the right skills, it is even possible to manage complex trauma cases in low resource settings."
Doctors like Binod are at the heart of everything the Foundation seeks to achieve. With your support, we can train even more surgeons, helping them to serve the communities that need them most.
The Lancet: The COVID-19 response for vulnerable people affected by conflict
David Nott writes for The Lancet:
Next year I will have worked full time in the UK's National Health Service (NHS) for 40 years. I seem to be a survivor not only from the political rollercoaster that various governments have enacted on the NHS, but also from volunteering my surgical skills in places affected by conflict and natural disasters for the past 25 years. The experiences of the patients I have served whose lives have been impacted by war, injustice, and inhumanity during this time have given me insight into what life is really about. Every person on this planet has a right to live and survive by whatever means possible. Having seen the adverse health impacts of conflict and humanitarian disaster on patients, I understand the mass movement of unprotected people from war to places of relative calm.
Many of the estimated 70·8 million forcibly displaced people worldwide live in insanitary and inhospitable conditions, sometimes up to six families living in one tent in a 3 m area. At a time when so many people are living under lockdown because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it is important to highlight the dreadful conditions that displaced people endure, which I have personally witnessed in refugee camps throughout the world. Apart from difficult living conditions in these camps, many people share one latrine and washing facilities and hundreds queue for food every day. People tolerate such conditions because they want to live. They have been forced to live this way by inhumane acts in conflict and authoritarianism.
Many people in high-income countries might think that these humanitarian problems happen to other people far away and have little to do with them. At the start of this year with the first reports of a new virus in China, some people watched with casual nonchalance. Even when Joseph Wu and colleagues reported in late January that COVID-19 was going to become a global pandemic requiring substantial preparation, this warning received insufficient attention. Too many of us were lulled into a false sense of security by shrugging politicians. Looking back now, it is hard to understand from a scientific and epidemiological standpoint that there seemed to be no one with sufficient leverage to wave that red flag very early on.
Read the full article here.
War Doctor Heroes: Meet Dr Ayman
Meet Dr Mohammed Ayman, a Syrian vascular surgeon and our latest War Doctor Hero.
We first met Ayman back in 2013, when David Nott was volunteering in Alzarour Hospital, Aleppo. Whilst treating patients, David was able to teach Ayman and his team a variety of specialised surgical procedures that Ayman was later able to use to save casualties.
At this time, medical workers and facilities were a target. As Ayman put it, "the hospitals in Aleppo were a kind of magnet for attacks.”
It was too dangerous to go outside as barrel bombs and missiles could fall at any time so Dr Ayman and his colleagues had to work, sleep and eat in their underground hospital.
The heavy siege also meant resources were always in short supply. They lacked the right sutures to stitch up patients and there wasn’t enough food and milk to feed malnourished children. Nonetheless, Dr Ayman did what he could to take care of his patients. “All the Syrian people in Aleppo needed us, so we had to be stronger for them and we had to adapt to the new situation as best we could. We wanted them to always feel that they were not alone.”
One patient that Ayman especially remembers was an 11 month old baby girl. Her father carried her to the hospital after she was wounded in a bomb explosion. She had a severe leg wound and the orthopaedic surgeon wanted to perform an amputation. Fortunately, Dr Ayman knew there was a chance her leg could be saved. He successfully performed a vein bypass to restore the blood supply and later her leg was externally fixated so that the bone could heal properly.
To Ayman’s immense happiness, the little girl recently started walking.
Ayman is one of fourteen surgeons who will be joining us for our next UK-based training course. He hopes that the skills learnt on this course will enable him to better serve the Syrian people when he is able to return to his home country.
You can read about some of our other War Doctor Heroes by clicking here.
Yemen HEST January 2020
The DNF team, in partnership with MSF Spain, recently returned from our latest mission to Yemen which brought in 31 surgeons from across the country for a specialised five-day training course. Since 2015, Yemen has been the stage of one of the world's worst humanitarian catastrophes. Hundreds of thousands of Yemeni citizens have already lost their lives, and as the fighting continues, many more are in need of urgent medical treatment and supplies. At the front-lines of this conflict are the surgeons and medics who face the challenge of saving lives without losing their own, all the while limited by a lack of resources and insufficient training.
Our Hostile Environment Surgical Training course (HEST) was designed to confront this problem. Over the course of five days, our Faculty, comprising David Nott, Ammar Darwish, Pippa Letchworth, Pete Mathew and Rebekka Troller instructed surgeons on a wide range of trauma topics. By equipping these medics with the necessary knowledge, confidence and skills that they need to treat patients, we can improve the medical outcome for countless people.
The regions where HEST is taught often rule out cadaveric teaching, so the Foundation’s whole body simulator, Heston, was employed for training. This state of the art, bespoke simulator mimics the look and feel of real human flesh and features the full range of organs, blood vessels and key anatomies needed for facilitating learning.
Supporting Heston, we also deployed our neonatal models and our new VR learning experience, which simulates a mass casualty event. This immersive experience focuses on the triage of ten patients using International Committee of the Red Cross categories: serious wounds, second priority, superficial wounds and severe wounds.
To date, the Foundation has trained 803 medics across 28 courses, benefiting an estimated 1.7 million patients. Through this global network of war 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.
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.
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.
War Doctor Heroes: Meet Dr Samah
We are proud to introduce Dr Samah in the latest instalment of our War Doctor Heroes. These features share the stories of our global family of surgeons. Their courage, diligence and dedication inspires everything that the Foundation strives to achieve.
Dr Samah is the only female surgeon in Aden and possibly in all of Yemen. We first met this incredible doctor in 2016 when she completed our overseas training course (HEST). Since then, she has come to be regarded as one of the very best and has consistently impressed our team with her dedication and diligence.
Earlier this year, Dr Samah was able to apply the skills learned on one of our courses in a life threatening situation. She carried out an emergency procedure whereby an incision of the skin of a patient is made to create a clear airway in a technique that is only performed as a last resort when intubation is impossible. Dr Samah told us: “I saved his life; it was great what I felt at that moment. It’s all thanks to Dr David and his Foundation.”
Her legacy is a reminder of the many extraordinary women who've been on the "front line" for years.
To help us train more war doctors like Dr Samah, you can donate here.
War Doctor Heroes: Meet Dr Aisha
War Doctor Heroes features the stories of our global family of surgeons. Their devotion to saving lives inspires us to keep moving forward. Conflict doesn't stop, neither do we.
In this feature, we're proud to introduce Dr Aisha from Libya. Dr Aisha travelled 1,000 miles to attend our HEST course in Misrata, Libya. She is part of a small team of surgeons in Sabha, south west Libya. She is used to fighting to keep patients alive whilst shrapnel and bullets tear through her hospital building. “A single shot to an oxygen tube could have destroyed the whole theatre, where we were operating but we couldn’t stop – we felt we were making a difference”. After our course, Aisha said: “Your hands can do the work but you need someone to guide you”.
Help us train more war doctors like Aisha by donating here https://lght.ly/1jbkc1g