Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has upgraded its reconstructive surgery hospital in Amman, Jordan, to provide improved treatment to war-wounded patients from across the region. MSF first established a specialized surgery project in Amman in 2006 to care for victims of the war in Iraq, which it later expanded to receive patients from Iraq, Gaza, Yemen, and Syria. The project has just reopened in a new, renovated structure; the hospital continues to be staffed by local and international experts in their fields.
"Our highest patient numbers are currently from Syria, followed by Yemen and Iraq," said Dr. Ashraf Al Bostanji, head surgeon. "The people of these countries have already witnessed and experienced so much suffering."
Many of these patients may receive initial care for their wounds, but they do not usually have access to specialized surgical procedures, as their home countries are at war, he said. "These hard-to-reach services include orthopedic, maxillofacial, and plastic reconstructive surgery, which we provide at no cost to the patients and lower running costs than the private sector."
