Snapshot of PalMed UK and PalMed Academy Event 9 December 2024
PalMed UK and PalMed Academy hosted an inspiring event at Nottingham Medical School titled “Stories of a Surgeon in Palestine“. The event featured Dr. Mohammad Hawari, a PalMed member and surgeon who visited Gaza during the ongoing conflict.
Dr. Hawari shared a powerful testimony about the dire medical situation in Gaza, highlighting the challenges faced by healthcare workers and patients amidst the devastation. Over 100 students and staff attended the event, attentively listening to his firsthand account of the humanitarian crisis and the efforts made by PalMed UK to support innocent civilians affected by the atrocities.
Dr. Hawari detailed PalMed’s tireless 14-month mission to provide aid and medical assistance to the people of Gaza, calling attention to the urgent need for global solidarity. He also introduced the GEM initiative, which aims to support medical students and strengthen Gaza’s healthcare system through education and innovation.
Together, we can make a difference. Help us support the people of Gaza and Palestine.
On Saturday 7 December the Scottish Palestine Health Partnership held its second annual conference at Glasgow University.
Over 100 delegates attended .
Palmed Uk and PalMed Academy was there.
PalMed was represented by Drs Eman El-Bahnasawi and Dr Vivian Badr .
Dr Bashier Oudeh ( SPHP executive ) chaired the second session of the meeting, and introduced Professor Mahmoud Loubani, who presented an update on the GEM scheme , this received a lot of interest and Prof Loubani answered a few questions after his lecture.
With the Participation of Leading Doctors and International Experts: PalMed Holds an Academic Conference to Support Medical Students in Gaza.
London, 23 November 2024
In light of the challenging circumstances in Gaza, PalMed Academy of PalMed Europe – the Palestinian Doctors’ Association in Europe held an academic conference on Saturday, 23 November 2024, at the Royal Society of Medicine in London. The conference was attended by international medical experts with experience in education and medical training especially in Gaza., the conference, titled “Resurrecting Medical Education in Gaza: Challenges and Solutions,” addressed the severe challenges facing Gaza’s medical education due to the blockade and destruction of healthcare and educational infrastructure.
The conference featured discussions and presentations emphasising innovation of the Gaza Educate Medics led by PalMed Academy and the role of international networks in supporting medical education in Palestine.
Dr. Hussam Adwan,Consultant Surgeon at Wirral University Hospital in the UK and conference chair, said:
“Your participation today fuels the flame of hope not only for students and faculty but for all residents of Gaza.”
Dr. Mohammed Zughbar, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Al-Azhar University, delivered an opening lecture comparing medical education in Gaza before the war with its current state. He highlighted the devastating impact of the conflict on the educational system and its broader societal implications.
Dr. Riyad Masharqah, Chair of the Advisory Council of the Palestinian Doctors’ Association in Europe, praised the resilience of Gaza’s medical students and emphasised that this initiative aims to ensure their future, maintain the continuity of medical faculties, and address the critical shortage of healthcare professionals.
Professor Mahmoud Loubani, Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon and Chair of Palmed Academy and CEO of the GEM scheme, stated: “This initiative, under the GEM program, is an investment in Gaza’s future. It ensures the continuity of medical education and the availability of qualified medical personnel to serve the community.”
Since its launch in June 2024, the initiative has enrolled over 2,101 students with the support of more than 1,000 international volunteers offering lectures and assistance through an integrated educational platform. A mentorship scheme for the students of Gaze was unveiled at the conference to commence on the 7th December 2024.
The conference highlighted the struggles faced by Gaza’s medical schools, including the destruction of infrastructure and severe shortages of educational and medical resources. Before the recent conflict, nearly 2,500 students were enrolled in medical faculties at Al-Azhar and Islamic universities.
Dr. Anwar Sheikh Khalil, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the Islamic University of Gaza, remarked:
“The destruction of medical education infrastructure threatens not only students’ futures but also the entire healthcare system in Gaza.”
A Global Message of Solidarity
Prominent international figures attended the conference, including Professor Mads Gilbert, the renowned Norwegian humanitarian, and Professor Nick Maynard from Oxford as well as a host of prominent educationalists and academics.
Students from Gaza joined remotely, with Lina Abuhein discussing the daily challenges they face and their essential needs for continuing their education. Tariq Abdel Jawad, from the the GEM Students’ Engagement Committee, shared how students contributed to hospitals during the war, underscoring the hope that international support provides for their education and service to their community.
Charity Dinner
The academic day concluded with a charity dinner, where attendees raised over $150,000 to support the initiative. The main guest speaker and guest of honour at the dinner was Dr. Husam Zomlot, Palestine’s ambassador to the UK who endorsed the initiative and emphasised education as a means of resilience for Palestinians through the decades of occupation.
Palmed Academy: A Vision for Sustainable Medical Education
Founded in 2022, Palmed Academy is the educational arm of the Palestinian Doctors’ Association in Europe, aiming to enhance healthcare in Palestine through education and training. The academy collaborates with international universities and institutions to provide advanced learning materials and training programs.
Through these efforts, PalMed Academy and its partners aim to preserve medical education in Gaza as a cornerstone of Palestinian resilience amidst ongoing challenges imposed by the blockade and conflict.
PalMed Europe and David Nott Foundation Doctors upskilling to help Gaza( HEST Course)
Doctors from around the world are upskilling to save the lives of those injured in the conflict in Gaza on a special course organised by PalMed Uk, led by David Nott Foundation team and hosted by the University of Bolton. The PalMed train doctors to go and work in Gaza for four days of training, led by the David Nott Foundation.
PalMed identified the doctors, whilst the foundation provided the training, which will prepare the doctors to head to the Gaza strip in Palestine to assist with saving the lives of thousands of injured civilians.
During the course, doctors from different countries and hospitals learn every field of trauma surgery including neuro, cardiovascular, abdominal, paediatric, obstetrics and gynaecology and anaesthesia, using cutting-edge teaching tools that were made by designers, in collaboration with the charity’s co-founder, renowned war surgeon Professor David Nott.
Doctors practice their techniques on Heston, a one-of-a-kind human war wound simulator, 3D-printed kidneys, silicone hearts, blood vessels, tracheas, and additional teaching models.
The training demonstrates how to deal with trauma caused in war zones, which can include anything from bomb blast and gunshot wounds to severe crush injuries caused by collapsing buildings.
One of the reasons behind the upskilling of doctors is that many are specialised doctors not equipped with dealing with the type of injuries patients may have in a war zone.
On Friday (February 2) 35 surgeons were being trained to offer their services to charities that are going into Gaza, and six anaesthetists.
More than 27,000 people have been killed and 66,000 wounded by Israel’s invasion in Gaza, the Palestinian health ministry said on Thursday.
Dr Riyadh Almasharqah: Plastic surgeon and CEO of PalMed Europe, has worked in various regional plastic surgery and burn units across the UK and abroad.
Dr Almasharqah’s says this course is vital and need more urgent than ever.
He said: “We are grateful to the people of Bolton, the University of Bolton, and the whole community who offered great support to this course. “This is the second course, with the first course being in December. and many people from the first course are already in Gaza and they provided a lot of help there. and they’re feedback about the information they got from this course has been great. So, this encouraged us to do the second course, and hopefully we will continue to do that in the future.
“It’s a really unique course. As a doctor, I have attended many courses before, but this is really structured and organised to cover all emergency aspects in every speciality’’.
“What we can see from what is happening in Gaza is that the magnitude of the need is so high. It’s beyond imagination, people are suffering a lot. The injured people are suffering, and so are the people who are displaced because they are living in shelters without food unfortunately, and no electricity, no water, and of course all of the health sector has collapsed, and kids are suffering from malnutrition, and even the elderly people’’.
“According to estimations, there are more than 40,000 women who are pregnant about to deliver and there are no proper facilities for any doctors to do any antenatal care. And for this purpose, we managed to expand a small hospital in north Rafah in Palestine. In addition to other work we did like sending the delegations and doing a mobile clinic for the displaced people.”
Chief operating officer of The David Nott Foundation Tim Law said:
“As a charity, we were about to go to Gaza in October when the news obviously broke on October 7, and the whole world has seen what’s happened since then. “But we are keen to continue to support the Palestinian people, as we are any person that is affected by conflict or other disasters.”
Tim From David Nott Foundation said: “We train medical professionals so that they can operate effectively in war zones and help patient outcomes – that is the job of our charity. “Now, if you think about most surgery, it can be very specific. So, you might train as a cardiovascular surgeon, and all you do is work on the heart and that system. But, when it comes to war you might find that you’re the only surgeon in the hospital, and there are people presenting with multiple wounds, blasts fragmentation, or all sorts of things like that, and our job is to basically help surgeons who are perhaps quite specialised, become generalists and are then able to deal with the challenges that these sort of environments present. We have some of our doctors who are on the faculty who have travelled to Gaza, who said that the people that don’t really have this grasp of the whole system of surgery are not as well able to meet the challenges that are presented to them, so in many ways, we are certain that this is the best training that you can get. And we feel that we’re backed up in that with the amount of demand there is for our courses.”
Tim added: “Many of our faculty are ex-military, so they’ve got experience of Iraq, Afghanistan, and places like that, so they know what it’s like to be in places where resources that you would have in an NHS hospital in the UK aren’t available to you.
In December, other facilities in Bolton were used by the foundation and PalMed to upskill 42 doctors, many of whom already in Gaza or planning to travel to Palestine to offer their help.
The foundation also delivered a surgical training course in Ramallah, Palestine, last July to empower doctors from across the region, and the team were due to train in Gaza in October before the war started.
Hostile Environment Surgical and Anaesthetic Training (HEST)
Surgeons and anaesthetists rapidly trained to treat trauma injuries in Gaza
PalMed UK in collaboration with the David Nott Foundation run a remarkable four-day Hostile Environment Surgical Training (HEST) course, surgeons and anaesthetists from the UK, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Qatar gathered in Bolton to learn how to treat trauma injuries in the Gaza Strip.
Organised in two weeks in collaboration with Palmed UK, 42 doctors headed for the Middle East were trained to treat complex trauma injuries incurred in the Israel-Gaza conflict. This course not only marks a significant step towards preparing medical professionals for future missions in Palestine but also reflects a shared commitment to saving lives in conflict zones.
Riyadh Al Masharqa, Plastic surgeon and CO for PalMed Europe saied:
“Thank you to the David Nott Foundation. Without them, this training would not have been possible. Together, we are organising this course to assist the people in the Gaza Strip once it is safe and travel becomes feasible. The response from numerous doctors expressing their desire to help has been overwhelming, and we are hopeful to conduct a second course in the coming weeks.”
Addressing urgent medical needs in Gaza, the course was organised in response to the pressing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Palestine. According to on-the-ground partners, medical professionals are stretched to their limits and hospitals are overwhelmed.
The group included specialists in orthopaedic surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatric anaesthesia, and general surgery. Some brought valuable, first-hand experience from regions affected by conflict, like Afghanistan and Syria, while others joined to grow their understanding of how to treat war wounds before heading on mission.
Dr Iman Al Mabhooh, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist consultant.
“I’m excited about expanding my skill set beyond obstetrics and gynaecology to acquire new capabilities that will benefit mothers and their infants in Gaza and the West Bank. I recognize the desperate need for assistance in this region. This course is unique as it combines obstetrics and gynaecology with trauma care. This training aims to address complex challenges comprehensively and I look forward to it.”
Our surgical HEST and anaesthesia courses were held simultaneously, demonstrating our commitment to enhancing the skills of all those striving to preserve life in the operating theatre.
Dr Douglas Philpott, Anaesthetist
“What has been great about this course is meeting people that have experienced things in the field. From the anaesthetics point of view, it’s been helpful to learn how they deal with limited resources and supplies, and we have been using airway mannequins and practicing with video scopes.”
As war continues to rage, we are working on a second surgical training course with the goal of upskilling even more frontline medical professionals. We won’t stop empowering doctors with the knowledge needed to save lives and limbs against the odds.
We Palmed Europe and UK expressing gratitude to the David Nott Foundation for orchestrating this exceptional course. We eagerly anticipate the next installment.
Hostile Environment Surgical and Anaesthetic Training (HEST)
In collaboration between the Palestinian Doctors Association and the David Nott Foundation, we aim to train and qualify more than 100 doctors who wish to contribute to providing relief to our people affected by the ravages of war in the besieged Gaza Strip.
Hostile Environment Surgical and Anaesthetic Training (HEST)
Developed and led by David Nott, this course is designed to enhance the skills of surgeons and anesthetists, better preparing them for the daily challenges they face in war zones and disaster-stricken areas. It also aims to assist doctors traveling to such regions.
The course equips doctors with the necessary skills to make rapid, critical decisions while preserving medical resources. It covers a range of surgical procedures and addresses common emergencies during disasters and wars, characterized by equipment shortages and a high volume of medical cases requiring urgent interventions to save lives.
Given that working in crisis zones often rules out cadaveric teaching, the HEST course relies on practical exercises, including suturing prosthetic organs and blood vessels, as well as demonstrations on our specially designed full-body simulator. We also simulate mass casualty scenarios, training our surgeons in the decision-making skills needed to prioritize patients and save lives.
The course focuses on cases associated with wars and disasters, ranging from gunshot and explosive injuries to violent injuries resulting from building collapses and fires. It also covers post-disaster procedures, including skin flaps and grafts, as well as the management of orthopedic fractures using external fixation and amputation cases.
During the course, doctors learn how to make decisions and manage emergency cases related to obstetrics and childbirth, including postpartum hemorrhage and cesarean sections.
The course spans a full four days, during which doctors can expect to cover the following specialties:
Primary and secondary survey, Damage control, Ballistics. Cardiothoracic trauma. Vascular surgery, Head and neck trauma, Paediatric surgery, Abdominal trauma, Orthopaedic surgery, Plastic surgery, Trauma in obstetrics and gynaecology.
Launch of Mobile Medical Clinics and Centres for The Palestinian Doctors Association in Europe to Serve Gaza.
Given the immense destruction caused by the recent aggression on Gaza, with a significant number of hospitals and health centres being destroyed and over 36 centres and hospitals rendered completely out of service, the idea of establishing mobile medical clinics plays a crucial role in providing healthcare services to the displaced. Due to the difficulty of transporting citizens to hospitals and the lack of transportation means, this project is considered a beacon of hope for our people in the besieged region. The mobile medical clinic consists of two doctors, two nurses, a paramedic, and an ambulance driver to provide appropriate treatment for 20 days each month.
This project aims to establish 40 medical points and mobile clinics, offering care to approximately two hundred thousand displaced individuals, with services reaching small communities as needed. The clinics are expected to accommodate nearly four hundred patients per day.
These objectives are designed to address the immediate health needs of displaced communities, aiming to provide essential healthcare services, minimize the risk of disease transmission, and enhance the overall well-being and safety of the displaced population. Additionally, the project aims to showcase its work through informational videos and extend its reach by establishing the Mobile health clinics and medical centres.
The project urgently requires support to provide healthcare and prevent the spread of infectious diseases within the shelter centre, especially in the challenging conditions our people are facing as winter sets in.
Project Goals:-
Main Objective:
Contribute to improving the health conditions of displaced populations within shelter centers.
Subsidiary Objectives:
Ensure the provision of healthcare services to displaced individuals within shelter centers.
Prevent the spread of diseases and epidemics.
Safeguard the well-being of displaced individuals and alleviate financial burdens.
Produce introductory videos about the mobile clinics and their operations during the first month – Gaza.
The United Kingdom Clinics
The Sweden Clinics
The Turkey Clinics
The France Clinics
In this context, we affirm that as a collective, we remain fully prepared to meet the health needs of our people, supporting their resilience. We will continue to work and collaborate with international and local institutions for this purpose.
A Step Towards Advancing Healthcare System in Palestine
Introduction to the Project:
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a conducive environment for the widespread adoption of online education. What was once considered secondary has become a crucial element, particularly in fields where certificates and experiences, especially in medical practices, are pivotal. As the pandemic persists, distance learning has emerged as the optimal and essential solution to ensure the continuity of the educational process while safeguarding the well-being of participants and students.
In light of these circumstances, the ideal timing has arrived for the introduction of a Continuous Medical Education Academy. This innovative project does not rely on a physical facility but rather deems the presence of participants, specialists, and an online platform sufficient for its launch and operation. It is considered a milestone and a cornerstone towards the larger vision of establishing physical academic facilities, training halls, and more, all essential components in the field of education and training.
General Objectives of the Academy:
1. Collaborate with universities, medical centers, and research institutions worldwide to organize specialized courses in researcher qualification and the fundamentals of scientific research.
2. Transform research outcomes into investment opportunities, prepare and support relevant studies, and harness medical expertise for investment in various projects.
3. Organize qualification courses for new graduate students in various medical fields, along with continuous medical education courses in Palestine.
4. Facilitate scientific meetings with renowned scholars and specialists from various medical fields.
5. Organize and support specialized medical conferences through planning and participation.
6. Conduct multiple courses using simulation devices (artificial human bodies) to train in various medical strategies.
7. Launch and support a specialized fund to back scientifically beneficial research with medical returns for society and humanity.
Vision:
Elevate the healthcare system in Palestine by qualifying medical professionals, providing educational solutions, serving the community and humanity, supporting medical education, research, development, and creating projects that bolster investment opportunities in medical fields.
PalMed UK conduct a webinar about training for a medical career in the UK.
18th December 2023.
Choosing a medical career in the UK, what do you need to know?
The webinar was for the benefit of overseas doctors (particularly from Palestine) who would like to pursue their ambition of getting further training in the UK; and also for the benefit of their people, who suffer the double whammy of occupation and severely limited opportunities.
The webinar was led by Dr. Husam Adwan, post-fellowship upper gastrointestinal surgeon in Truro
Dr. Ahmad Al-Shsnti
Dr. Saleh Romman
Dr. Kate Mallelu
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All of them were at various stages in training and specialisation, making them best placed to give the latest information about applying for work and training in the UK.
There was a very valuable contribution from Professor Mahmoud Lubani from the University of Hull, a Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon, (who is also the President of PalMed Academy).
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Professor Lubani highlighted the pathways available for work in Britain in various specialties.
The emphasis of the webinar was on giving practical help to those wishing to further their career, while indicating the priority of utilizing all the expertise gained towards providing better health for the people who need it most, including Palestine.
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The webinar was concluded with a question and answer session; when Dr. Adwan and Professor Lubani answered the queries sent to them during the meeting.
The webinar was recorded for the benefit of those who could not follow it live, and can be watched on PalMed UK Facebook page
Under the sponsorship and cooperation of many British and European active organizations in Palestine, a conference took place under the title “The survival challenges faced by the children of Gaza because of the ruthless siege”.
The Palestinian Doctors Association in Europe/ UK branch (Palmed) has participated in this important event. Where Dr. Bashir Oudah has given a speech about (The children in Gaza have the right to live).
Dr. Oudah explored the geographical, historical, and health situation in the sieged Gaza strip and its income providing a decent human life for the Gaza people, especially the kids. He presented many studies that explained the situation of Children, their Health, Education, and moral needs, under the effects of war and permanent ruthless siege.
In the same context, the activities and assistance provided by the Palmed that aimed to support the children, health, and medical sectors in Palestine in general, and Gaza in particular, were presented. Recommendations have been raised by the Palmed that aid is needed to help the children and their families.
At the end of the event, donations were collected for the benefit of the medical projects in Gaza. The audience thanked Dr, Oudah and the Palmed for their efforts and accomplishments in this matter.
