- Title: Russia-based Palestinian surgeon brings expertise to help Gaza children
- Date: 22nd January 2020
- Summary: OPERATION ROOM MONITOR
- Embargoed: 5th February 2020 14:49
- Keywords: Children Doctors Gaza Health Care Medication Surgery Urology
- Location: BEIT LAHIA AND GAZA CITY, GAZA
- City: BEIT LAHIA AND GAZA CITY, GAZA
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA002BX98MDX
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Bringing his expertise which spans a few decades to his hometown, Russia-based Palestinian urologist Asaad Matar says reaching the Gaza Strip to operate on patients was very difficult.
With the help of a medical staff that accompanied him, the Russia-based paediatric surgeon has so far operated on 20 Gazan children suffering from congenital diseases, impossible to treat in the sealed-off enclave.
The staff, which included Matar's two brothers, also brought along their own medical tools to perform the highly complicated surgeries.
"The purpose of our visit is not just to perform surgeries, but also to teach the doctors and specialists here and pass our expertise on to them, so that with our limited resources and theirs, we can try to operate in the country," Matar said.
Maryam Muhsen, the grandmother of an 11-year-old boy that Matar and his team operated on, urged other Palestinians who have made it outside of Gaza to not forget about those who have been left behind.
"We suffer from very difficult financial circumstances and there are people who do not have income, may God be with them. Someone who has a medical case like this, what is he supposed to do?" Muhsen asked.
Access to medical care in Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank is difficult for the two million residents of Gaza, whose 13 hospitals lack equipment for specialized treatments.
(Production: Nehad Khalil, Fadi Shana, Nidal Mughrabi, Suheir Sheikh) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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