In the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict, tens of thousands have lost their lives and hundreds of thousands are now displaced. Hundreds of casualties have been reported in the West Bank. Our commitment to supporting affected communities continues and we will do all we can until we reach doctors on the ground.  

Despite recent escalation, Palestine has been engulfed by conflict for decades. Recognising a need for upskilled doctors, we first delivered a Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) course in Ramallah in March 2017 and another in 2022 in collaboration with Juzoor. We also taught Palestinian surgeons on our latest UK Train the Trainers course, giving them the skills needed to teach their own peers. 

“I love Ramallah. But we don’t have control of our borders,” shared Dr Salwa Najjab, Co-Founder and Chairwoman at Juzoor in 2022. “We are living in a big prison. Our people should be exposed to the world. We are very happy and thankful to the David Nott Foundation, to come and see what we are doing, to understand our situation and see it in their eyes.”  

Following the resounding success of our Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST)-UK course for doctors heading to Palestine, we once again joined forces with Palmed to train another group who intend to offer their skills on the frontline.  

At Bolton University, we taught six anaesthetists and 31 surgeons from the UK, Germany, Ireland, Denmark, and Norway. The doctors share a common passion for using their hands to help those affected by the aggression on Gaza. 

Dr Israar Haq, a general surgeon who joined our course shared, “If you have any grain of humanity in your heart, you want to help.” 

BBC spotlight 

BBC-Northwest took notice of our efforts and joined our training. They spoke with experienced surgical trainer, Dr Rebekka Troller, who shared: “The aim is to give the doctors the skills to do damage control, save lives, be the first to respond, and stabilise a patient before they can be transferred.”

Our presence at Bolton University also attracted attention from university professors, medical students and doctors. They explored our world-class teaching models and extended a warm welcome to our team in appreciation of our commitment to war doctors. 

Our latest course for Palestine reaffirms our unwavering commitment to helping communities facing the horrors of war. We remain steadfast in our mission to empower medical heroes and make a lasting impact on the lives of those in need. 

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