14 September 2016
Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) and our sister charity IDEALS responded to a preponderance of complex limb injuries by sending British surgical teams to Gaza during the 2014 conflict and in the two years since. They have provided operations for injured Palestinians and on-the-job training for Palestinian medics at Gaza’s largest hospital, Al Shifa.
This project saw major success this year with the establishment of a permanent Limb Reconstruction Unit at Al Shifa, staffed and run entirely by a dedicated team of Palestinian surgeons, nurses and technicians.
We met up with the team and talked to them about their work and life in Gaza.
Name: Ahmed Al Qanou
Age: 32
Job: Physiotherapist.
From Jabalia City, married and has two boys and two girls named Lamis and Maya.
What did you want to be when you grew up?
“I wanted to study medicine in Germany but I couldn’t go, so I continued physiotherapy in Gaza.”
Tell us a little about your work
“I’ve been working in Al Shifa hospital for five years. Before that I used to work with Doctors without Borders. Most of the limb reconstruction cases we see in the unit are trauma cases and war injuries, but more recently they have also been mixed with burn injuries.”
What ritual do you have each day starting your work?
“I come every morning to the hospital, we have breakfast together and wait for patients to arrive. I work in the outpatient clinic at the beginning of the day and follow up with the patients that come. I also train the students who come and take a practical training."
"In the orthopedic department I wait for the doctors and we go on the ward round together and assess which cases need physiotherapy. We have a consultation with the doctors about each case and then we start to work with the patients.”
What do you carry with you when you go to your work?
“I always have a bag with me that has my papers for the university where I teach, and some books."
Is there a patient you treated who left an impact on you?
“There are many cases I sympathized with and felt sad for. I once treated a child with severe burns years ago, I still remember her face. Children always leave the biggest impact on us.”
Children always leave the biggest impact on us
What’s your most beautiful memory?
“One of my fondest memories is when I graduated from university. Another is when I got married and had children. Starting to teach at the university was also a great personal experience.”
What’s your biggest challenge in work?
“Shortage of materials are a big challenge for me especially working in the orthopedic department which needs a unit to make splints and casts for patients. Some patients have complications like foot drop, which causes the leg to shorten if we don’t put a splint on it.”
What inspires you to continue work?
“Helping people.”
Featured image: Physiotherapist Ahmed Al-Qanou, in the physiotherapists room during his break. (Photo: Lara Aburamadan)