A girl slips through the hospital corridors with her friend, the pair bright-eyed and shy. Today is her last chance to wear her sparkly new shoes. Tomorrow, the 12-year-old Iraqi will have a leg amputated. The operation was due two weeks ago but the surgeon, who had tried not to weep as he broke the news that amputation was necessary, agreed to delay surgery. She wanted to wear her new shoes to a party first.
Her 11-year-old friend is from Yemen, and her scalp glistens with the plastic-like sheen of burn scars. Her arm and shoulder were also damaged in an accident four years ago when an overcrowded truck crashed while carrying refugees fleeing Saudi fighter jet attacks.
Victims of different wars, they are among up to 110 patients treated at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Mowasah hospital in Amman, Jordan, at any one time. On the waiting list are 400 more.
With 8,500 surgeries under its belt, the hospital is a centre of excellence for reconstructive and orthopaedic surgery combined with physiotherapeutic and psychological care, and its staff are focused on getting the best possible outcomes for the war wounded.
"The nationalities reflect the wars of this region," says the hospital's director, Roshan Kumarasamy, a veteran of MSF work in global conflict zones. "Our patients are from Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, Gaza. Almost all have PTSD or some kind of survivor guilt. There is not another surgical place like this hospital in the world - we are uniquely specialised. This is not the MSF lifesaving frontline operation per se; this is quality of life in the aftermath."
This story is from the December 28, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the December 28, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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