GAZA, March 14, 2010 (WAFA)- Dr. Philippe Lemaire, a senior orthopedic surgeon specialist has arrived today in the Gaza Strip to conduct a two-weeks long arthroscopy training, as part of Medecins du Monde – France’s projects. The training will benefit surgeons and patients from Gaza and will take place t the European Gaza Hospital (Khan Younes), starting from tomorrow.
On Monday, about a hundred patients suffering for joints [The joints that are most commonly examined and treated by arthroscopy are the knee, shoulder, elbow, wrist, ankle, foot, and hip] -related complaints (pain, limping etc.) will be consulted jointly by local and foreign specialists. A dozen of cases will be elected for imminent surgery that will be carried out by Dr. Lemaire, along with Medecins du Monde – France specialists and Gaza’s orthopedic surgeon. Case will be selected following assessment of the seriousness and emergency of the disease.
The training will in total benefit directly 15 patients, along with 7 orthopedic surgeons from the 3 different hospitals of the Gaza Strip who will have the opportunity to upgrade their knowledge in the specialty of arthroscopy.
Arthroscopy is a surgical procedure in orthopedic, characterized by the use of a camera (arthroscope), and a surgical instrument inserted in the body through small incisions, the surgery being monitored by video. Used for the treatment of damages of the interior of a joint, arthroscopy presents the great advantage over traditional open surgery that the joint does not have to be opened up fully, reducing the risk of trauma and recovery time. “Smaller incisions also diminishes the risk of post-operative infections and complications, said the experts of Medecins du Monde France. ‘And this of great interest in context such as the one in Gaza, where post-operative complications are frequent.”
In Gaza, only one public hospital possesses the adequate instruments to carry out arthroscopy interventions. However, the kit has been broken and unusable for over 3 months, making such operations impossible ever since. “The blockade imposed by Israel since 2007 considerably limits the provisioning of spare-parts for machinery for Gazan’s hospitals”, adds Medecins du Monde France, who provided the hospital with new equipment. “Specific surgeries such as arthroscopy are not often carried in the Gaza Strip, due to the lack of material and human capacities. By facilitating those interventions, it is also possible to reduce considerably the number of patients awaiting for treatment abroad of the Gaza Strip.”
The training takes part of a wider project that aims at reinforcing the quality of orthopedic surgery care and primary health care in the Gaza Strip, implemented by Medecins du Monde in partnership with the Ministry of Health, and funded partly by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO). The project focuses on building the capacities of the staff, sharing expertise and awareness, and provisioning of equipment and drugs for the Ministry of Health’s infrastructures.
