Conflict
Long wars and failed states have led to protracted crises and the displacement of people and children from their homes, often being forced to live in camps. Many of the earliest UK-Med responses were into conflict settings, including the Bosnia Conflict, Kurdish Refugee Crisis and Siege of Sarajevo. Whilst our most recent responses have been mainly linked to natural disasters and disease outbreak, a core part of our growth plan is to expand our work into regions affected by conflict to meet this growing need. This includes the development of a surgical cell and our own mobile outpatient facility that can set up in a challenging context.
Case study: Gaza, 2014
In August 2014, UK-Med sent a surgical team to treat the victims of the renewed conflict in Gaza. The team treated wounded civilians and helped to establish a community-based rehabilitation programme for the longer-term management of injuries.
UK-Med and Humanity & Inclusion supported a rehabilitation and nursing specialist cell to provide training and follow-up care for those with complex burns, amputations and spinal injury. As part of this six-month rehabilitation programme, treatment was delivered in patients’ homes and family members were trained in on-going care.
Member of the UK-Med surgical team