DRC: Performing war surgery without electricity
How do you ventilate a patient on the operating table without electricity? What's the difference between a war-wounded patient and one injured in a traffic accident? Dr Obady Kamble, a surgeon in Bethesda/Ndosha hospital in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo, talks about treating bullet wounds and the challenges of working in a region devastated by ongoing armed conflict.
Third of a series of five videos that illustrate different aspects of war surgery in a bare-bones context.
See also :
The first in the series - DRC: An innovative approach to lifesaving war surgery
The second - War surgery in DRC: Emergency triage
The fourth - DRC: After the operation, learning to move again
In eastern DRC, the ICRC trains specialists in war surgery to ensure the best possible treatment for patients with bullet or knife wounds. Since the beginning of the project in November 2012 in Goma (North Kivu), and then in Bukavu (South Kivu) in February 2013, 1,500 patients have had surgery. For the time being, the ICRC maintains an expatriate surgical team in Bethesda/Ndosho hospital in Goma. In Bukavu general hospital, local surgeons no longer need direct help from the ICRC and, since July 2015, we have provided only technical supervision and financial and material support.