Dr. Adam Kushner Operates in Syria with Medecins Sans Frontieres
1 like710 views
Dr. Adam Kushner, a surgeon from Columbia University, worked with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Syria for 8 days, operating on patients injured in the ongoing conflict. He treated many cases of gunshot and shrapnel wounds, as well as other injuries. Conditions at the MSF field hospital were makeshift but adequate, with inflatable operating tents providing sterile environments. MSF has been active in opposition-controlled areas of Syria since 2012, and currently has over 450 personnel operating several field hospitals and mobile clinics to help those affected by the violence.
Dr. Adam Kushner Operates in Syria with Medecins Sans Frontieres
- 1. Dr. Adam Kushner Operates in Syria with Medecins Sans Frontieres | Columbia University Department of Surgery Blog 3/23/14, 9:04 AM ColumbiaSurgery.org Home Health News Community Patient Stories Clinicians Staff Spotlights Dr. Adam Kushner Operates in Syria with Medecins Sans Frontieres by Columbia Surgery on September 9, 2013 LLiikkee 20 people like this. Be the first of your friends. 116 TTweeeett 1 As the impending military action in Syria unfolds, armed forces personnel or those with family in the area are taking a special interest in events. For others this is just a story in the news. Only a devoted few, such as Adam L. Kushner, MD, MPH, FACS, would leave their comforts behind to work as a surgeon in this conflict zone. . Adam L. Kushner, MD, MPH, FACS Dr. Kushner is not a stranger to working in adverse conditions. As a Director for Surgeons Overseas, he consults in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean to improve surgical training programs for medical schools. Yet, working in Syria with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is altogether different. What follows is a transcript of a conversation with Dr. Kushner and MSF Press Officer Tim Shenk. Tim was not in Syria but handles volunteer media requests. http://www.columbiasurgery.net/2013/09/09/dr-adam-kushner-operates-in-syria-with-medecins-sans-frontieres/ Page 1 of 6
- 2. Dr. Adam Kushner Operates in Syria with Medecins Sans Frontieres | Columbia University Department of Surgery Blog 3/23/14, 9:04 AM Question: Why did you go to Syria? Adam Kushner: I had worked with Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the past and in February 2012, was in Lebanon performing a surgical assessment of the Syrian refugees there. I had also taught a class on the surgical care needs in low-income countries and one of my speakers was the Head of the Surgery, Anesthesia & Gynecology and Emergency Medicine section at MSF. So, I had some insight into what was happening. I also went because I had the skills they needed and had never been to Syria before. Tim Shenk: Dr. Kushner was in Syria last month on an assignment with MSF as one of two surgeons on a team that operated on patients due to an increasing wave of mass-casualty incidents. This was treating mostly gun shot and shrapnel wounds. Q: Where was Dr. Kushner working? TS: Dr. Kushner was located in an opposition-held area in Aleppo Province. This was near a combat zone, but it was secure enough that he did not feel he was in extreme danger. Q: Was it difficult to get into the country? AK: After receiving the email about this opportunity I went to Brussels for a briefing, flew into Turkey and then travelled into Syria over land. Since MSF has a reputation of being impartial, volunteers have easy access in and out of conflict zones. On the Syrian side there were no government formalities in terms of entry Q: What were the operating conditions like in Syria? TS: The hospital was an inflatable tent with some conveniences and electricity. Yet unlike a typical hospital, the facility did not have an intensive care unit or X-ray machines. AK: I have been in many different conditions with my work so I was pleasantly surprised to find that conditions at the MSF hospital were relatively nice. Q: What kind of cases did you treat? AK: With regards to the battlefield injuries there were patients with multiple orthopedic and abdominal injuries including an inferior vena cava injury, shattered spleens and kidneys and multiple intestinal wounds. There had been an increase in battle related cases several days before my trip. The first four days were intense because of this increase. After that, the number of new cases slowed down. In addition to the war wounds, patients also had injuries from vehicle crashes and a number of women needed C-sections. Many women had had prior C-sections and MSF was running one of the few facilities where care could be delivered. http://www.columbiasurgery.net/2013/09/09/dr-adam-kushner-operates-in-syria-with-medecins-sans-frontieres/ Page 2 of 6
- 3. Dr. Adam Kushner Operates in Syria with Medecins Sans Frontieres | Columbia University Department of Surgery Blog 3/23/14, 9:04 AM An inflatable operating theatre is erected inside this MSF makeshift hospital in Syria (a converted chicken farm) as it is an efficient way to maintain a sterile environment. Photo by Robin Meldrum/MSF Q: How long was Dr. Kushner in Syria? TS: Dr. Kushner was in Syria for 8 days, with additional time outside the country on briefings, debriefings and assessments. This is shorter than the average assignment for an MSF surgeon because it was a rapidly changing emergency situation. The typical length of a surgery assignment with MSF is one to three months. Q: How long has MSF been in Syria? TS: Prior to the Syria conflict, MSF had run a project for migrants in Damascus, but this closed in April 2011. MSF wants to work throughout the country, wherever there are people in need, but so far it has not been possible to have an MSF project in government-controlled areas. In April 2011, MSF started to support groups of Syrian doctors treating wounded by supplying them with medicines and medical supplies. MSF was able to re-enter the country by mid 2012 but only in opposition-controlled areas in northern Syria. MSF now runs six hospitals in these areas, and some teams also run mobile clinics to help reach more remote communities. Initially MSF focused on providing emergency and surgical care. Activities have now extended to include primary health care consultations, maternal care, polio and measles vaccination campaigns, mental health programs, and providing donations to treat communicable diseases, such as typhoid and chronic illnesses such as asthma, diabetes and cardiovascular and kidney diseases MSF remotely supports 26 hospitals and 49 medical posts, providing technical and medical supply support, http://www.columbiasurgery.net/2013/09/09/dr-adam-kushner-operates-in-syria-with-medecins-sans-frontieres/ Page 3 of 6
- 4. Dr. Adam Kushner Operates in Syria with Medecins Sans Frontieres | Columbia University Department of Surgery Blog 3/23/14, 9:04 AM as well as nonmedical relief items. The majority of clinics that MSF supports are in opposition-controlled areas, but some are in government-controlled areas, or areas of conflict that are under mixed control. Q: How many people work with MSF in Syria today? TS: As of mid-August there were 449 MSF personnel in Syria. These are both Syrians and international volunteers. There are 510 additional MSF staff in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq working with Syrian refugees. Q: How can someone help? TS: MSF urgently needs surgeons, anesthesiologists, and emergency or intensive care physicians, but also needs non-medical volunteers. Dr. Kushner is exceptional in devoting his entire career since residency to international surgery. Other clinicians volunteer a month each year to MSF while others come to the organization after retiring from full-time careers. There is a Work With MSF section of the MSF website for more information on these opportunities. Additionally, MSF does not normally request gifts directed to certain operations, but due to the critical needs of this situation, donations can be specified for Syria through the Support our Work section of the MSF web site or by calling 1-888-392-0392. Tagged as: humanitarian, Kushner Leave a Comment Logged in as Columbia Surgery. Logout → Submit Previous post: Obesity Kills More Americans Than Previously Thought Next post: New York Thyroid Center Establishes Unique Thyroid Biopsy Clinic Contact the Office of External Affairs P: 212.304.7810 E: [email protected] Patient Referrals: 855-CUSURGE (855-287-8743) Referring Physicians: 800.543.2782 http://www.columbiasurgery.net/2013/09/09/dr-adam-kushner-operates-in-syria-with-medecins-sans-frontieres/ Page 4 of 6