Why is Complex Care Important?

Conflict-impacted communities face vulnerabilities that most of us cannot even imagine. Many face displacement and become refugees living in camps and temporary settlements. They have a lack of access to some of the most basic needs in health, education, adequate shelter and safety.

Since the launch of the Centre of Excellence for Complex Care in Erbil, Iraq, Swisscross has made it a mission to provide some of the most vulnerable communities in the region with free access to life-changing surgical complex care.

We wanted to share the importance of complex care and how at our Centre it is giving people a new lease of life. During our last mission, ending in October 2022, our team of volunteer doctors, surgeons, nurses and healthcare professionals - local and global - came together to complete 35 surgeries in under two weeks of which over 62% were children.

Mohamed Sarbaz Shakr, 2 playing with his Spiderman figure following surgery ay the Centre for complex care in September 2022.

Two-year old Mohamed Sarbaz Shakr was only 9 months old when he was badly scalded on the back of his knee. He has lived with not being able to straighten his leg and walk properly for the last 18 months. 

Veteran war surgeon and Swisscross Founder, Dr Enrique Steiger worked closely with two Swisscross local plastic surgeons based in Erbil, Dr Sarmad Nashat and Dr Mustafa Subhe, carefully re-opening the scarred area and using skin grafts to support Mohamed to eventually move his leg properly.

Mohamed, like so many other children living in conflict settings have been unable to access complex care and have had to live with acquired-disabilities, which have treatment solutions. We hope that through this surgery, Mohamed has the quality of life he deserves and learns to thrive in life.

Dr Sarkhell Radha, award-winning trauma and orthopaedic surgeon completed the first hip replacement at the Centre for complex care with Dr Ahmed Berzenji and Dr Lass Azad.

Swisscross healthcare workers constantly come across patients who have acquired-disability and who are living with physical pain and unable to support themselves. 

We were privileged to have Dr Sarkhell Radha volunteer for the September/October mission in Erbil. An award-winning trauma and orthopedic surgeon, Dr Radha undertook the first two complex total hip replacements and a complex femoral reconstruction at the Centre, working over 13 hours back to back.

One of the patients had had 15 prior surgeries without success. Such cases are common, where we find patients have had procedures under dire humanitarian emergencies, which have compounded their disability. 

Seven year-old, Ahmed Saffar gets a visit post-surgery from Dr Enrique Steiger.

Ahmed Hiwa Saffar, is 7 years old. He makes up over a third of the children we treat at the Centre for burn trauma. Ahmed along with his brother was badly burnt across his face, arms and torso in a gas explosion. Following extensive skin grafting and release of burn contractures, Ahmed has begun the long journey to rehabilitation. 

Complex care practitioners take a long-term view and provide care which offers sustainable outcomes for patients - who can go on to lead full lives, work and provide better for themselves and their families. 

Please consider supporting Swisscross and our team of global volunteers, so that we can continue to provide life-changing surgeries for conflict-impacted families.