UOSSM has been responding to the crisis in Ukraine by providing expertise gained from over 10 years of war in Syria through medical missions and training. On April 2 -12, UOSSM, in partnership with British renowned war doctor, Dr. David Nott of the David Nott Foundation, led a surgical medical mission, providing training workshops to doctors, and critical surgeries to patients affected by the war in Ukraine. Dr. David Nott, Dr. Monzer Yazji, Dr. Ahmad Dbais and Dr. Mohammed Zaidiye all contributed and coordinated in the surgical medical mission.

Throughout the 10 days, the medical mission team visited seven major hospitals throughout several geographical locations in eastern, central, and western Ukraine, where complex reconstructive and plastic surgeries were performed on victims of attacks. 40 doctors observed and received trainings during the surgeries. In addition, three workshops were provided to over 37 doctors with different surgical specialties.  The workshops taught doctors about damage and impact on the human body from different types of weapons during war, different types of trauma resulting from these weapons, and response handling these injuries including damage control, emergency surgery, and plastic and reconstructive surgery.

A new surgical medical mission is being planned in June to provide support to the doctors and people of Ukraine.

Dr. David Nott wrote on his foundation page about his visit in Ukraine, “Now having seen the devastation, it feels like the exact same tactics as in Syria. When I was in Aleppo in 2016, the whole region was completely and utterly destroyed. What we’re seeing in cities like Mariupol – the destruction – feels very similar to what I witnessed in Aleppo.”

UOSSM Ukraine was established in Ukraine with an office in Lutsk and two medical clinics, one in Lviv and one in Lutsk, providing urgent medical care to displaced Ukrainians and vital trainings to doctors and medical staff.

Dr. Monzer Yazji, co-founder of UOSSM USA said, “As Dr. Nott and I were visiting hospitals in Ukraine, we witnessed very similar severe injuries to the ones we witnessed in Syria. It was harrowing to see this type of history repeat itself and victims with the same types of horrible injuries. Our duty is to help the innocent civilians by providing them with urgent medical care, and support doctors by providing medical training on handling war-related injuries that they desperately need. The duty of the international community is to ensure that these types of attacks are never repeated again, anywhere in the world.”

You can support UOSSM’s medical mission work by clicking here.

As the situation continues to deteriorate in Ukraine with millions of displaced civilians, UOSSM continues on its medical mission. Two medical points have been established. The first medical point is in Lutsk, which is a medical clinic providing primary health care services, urgent treatment and medicines to women, children, and the elderly. Most are of the millions of displaced/refugees fleeing violence and bombardment.

The second medical point is in Lviv, and provides medical services along with emergency humanitarian services to those affected by the war. These clinics have been operating around the clock, 24 hours a day, seven days a week for the past month.

Dr. Ahmad Dbais, the International Missions Director, arrived on the ground in Ukraine last week to assess the situation and work with the UOSSM Ukraine team on strategy and training.  He also visited and worked in the medical points, providing medical care,  and planned logistics for Dr. David Nott’s arrival as part of the medical mission.

Dr. Nott, a Welsh surgeon, volunteers in areas of conflict, and has volunteered with UOSSM with his lifesaving surgeries in Syria and has provided training to Syrian doctors to help handle and treat war wounds and injuries and is set to arrive to Ukraine on Monday, April 4.

You can support our medical mission in Ukraine by clicking here.

Dr. Monzer Yazji, co-founder of UOSSM/UOSSM USA, is on his second trip to Ukraine to provide medical support by establishing a UOSSM Ukraine office, and medical points to support Ukrainians affected by the war. Dr. Yazji said, ” We are seeing around 60 patients a day, in one medical point at a church. Tomorrow, the number is expected to jump to 300 patients per day, as other local churches will be sending patients here to this medical point.
We also formed a network of volunteer doctors of different specialties; we did training for them today.”

On his first trip, Dr. Yazji met with other international NGOs and local officials to assess the situation,  establish UOSSM Ukraine, and provide medical relief. You can read about the first medical mission here and about the parallels between the Syrian and Ukrainian crisis here.

UOSSM was founded in 2012, in response to the crisis in Syria to help provide emergency humanitarian relief, medical care and relief and train those on the ground to handle war wounds, chemical attacks and other war related injuries and is now in Ukraine to provide the same type of support and services to Ukrainians affected by the war. You can support our work in Ukraine by clicking here.