UPDATE: Six Months at the Centre of Excellence for Complex Care in Erbil, Iraq.
First free-flap surgery: Dr Natasha Forster, a microvascular specialist from Zurich, Switzerland works with Swisscross Chief Surgeon Dr. Walter Kunzi, and local plastic surgeons from Erbil - Dr. Alla Shukur, and Dr. Mustafa Subhe to re-attach vessels in the lower leg during a free-flap transfer of muscle from the back to lower leg for a 10 year old who was hit by a missile.
In September 2021 Swisscross launched the first humanitarian complex care program in Erbil, Iraq. In the six months that have followed we have received over 700 referrals for patient care, performed 87 complex reconstructive surgeries, and received 203 days of donated time from global and local surgeons and nurses.
Over 90 percent of our patients have been refugees and displaced populations
During our first surgical missions between September 2021 and March 2022 at the Centre of Excellence for Complex Care, generously supported by UAE Aid, we have brought together a global and local team of 40 surgeons, nurses, specialists and healthcare workers, including surgical residents in specialist training to provide life-changing reconstructive surgeries to refugees and internally displaced people in Iraq.
Our team includes global experts in general reconstructive surgery, plastic surgery, maxillofacial surgery, anaesthesia, microvascular surgery, and general & arthroscopic orthopedics.
In March 2022, we performed the first free-flap surgery at the Centre on a 10 year old who was grievously injured by a missile at the age of five.
Dr. Natasha Forster, a microvascular specialist from Zurich, Switzerland working alongside Swisscross Chief Surgeon Dr. Walter Kunzi, and local plastic surgeons from Erbil - Dr. Alla Shukur, and Dr. Mustafa Subhe performed the complicated procedure of reattaching vessels in the lower leg during a free-flap transfer of muscle from the back to lower leg for the young child patient. The surgery took almost 6 hours.
Our teams of women healthcare professionals came together in Erbil for International Women’s Day on March 8th 2022.
Our March mission coincided with International Women’s Day. So we were delighted to celebrate the talented women health specialists, who are a part of our teams - both globally and in Erbil.
During the ten-day March mission, Swisscross completed 36 procedures including nine cases in plastic surgery, nine burn traumas, seven hand surgeries, three general orthopedic surgeries and eight knee-related orthopedic procedures.
The Centre of Excellence for Complex Care is housed at Zheen International Hospital in Erbil, where the hospital and staff have generously given their time and the use of their operating theaters and where in one day we were able to perform 12 surgical procedures - eight orthopedic and four plastic surgeries.
We are grateful to the wider network of volunteers across local healthcare and NGOs based in Iraq, who have helped us cement the value of the humanitarian Centre as a hub of excellence providing complex surgeries to some of the most vulnerable people injured as a result of war and conflict and who cannot afford care. These organizations include KRG Ministry of Health, Barzani Charity Foundation, SWEDO, and SEED Foundation, who work across refugee and displacement settings in the Kurdistan region, and Nadia's Initiative which advocates for survivors of sexual violence and rebuilding communities in crisis.
Please consider supporting refugees and vulnerable populations injured in war here.
