29 June 2018
This month Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) delivered urgently needed limb reconstruction equipment to Gaza, thanks to the response we received to our Gaza Emergency Appeal.
Our delivery cost $300,000 and included 41 external fixators, which give stability to wounded limbs and significantly reduce pain for patients. Specialist surgeons insert pins into patients’ damaged bones and secure these with the external frames known as fixators. These frames will stay in place for six to eight weeks, after which healthcare professionals will assess what further care is required.
We also delivered 22 Tailor Spatial Frames (TSFs), a second frame often used in later, very specialised recovery. They are fitted with screws to allow deformed or shortened bones to be remodelled and straightened.
This week, MAP has also supported a limb reconstruction mission to Gaza. The team of eight UK medics has helped assess and plan the treatment pathway for 250 patients with complex limb injuries.
As supporters know, MAP has been helping Gaza’s health service prepare for such complex injuries since 2014 when, in partnership with IDEALS, we sent a team of orthopaedic surgeons from King’s College Hospital in London to Gaza. There, they began conducting vital operations for patients, and training a local team of limb reconstruction specialists, including surgeons, theatre technicians and nurses.
Their regular visits led to the establishment of Gaza’s first dedicated Limb Reconstruction Unit at Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, with more recent support for a second unit at European Gaza Hospital in the south. Through this project, we have also helped to train Palestinian physiotherapists, who are playing an essential role in helping people to recover better from their injuries and regain mobility and functioning.
This ongoing support is vital to treating the high number of Palestinians suffering shattered bones as a result of Israeli forces’ violent response to the “Great March of Return” demonstrations, which has seen at least 118 Palestinians killed and over 14,000 people injured.
Donate now to help support MAP’s emergency response
Thank you to everyone who has helped make this possible!
The limb reconstruction team in Gaza will be managing many of the cases that have been admitted to hospital for many years to come. MAP believes these injuries will require 12 to 18 months of outpatient care. Please continue to support MAP’s vital limb reconstruction work in Gaza by making a donation today.
