“During that period, I examined and treated over 30 children ranging from two months to 14 years of age,” Dr. Shukri said. “I managed to perform four complicated surgeries, treat congenital anomalies, such as a cleft palate, deformities, cuts, and burns. The majority of the children were under life threat, some of them having suffered from deformities for a long time. Even though Shifa Hospital is the largest medical center in Gaza, it is overpopulated and owns very old equipment…The harsh reality is that in all of Gaza, there is only one plastic surgeon who is supposed to cater to hundreds of cases each month.”
Dr. Shukri and Dr. Yassin’s aid was initiated by the Physicians for Human Rights organization and Operation Smile, a US organization operating 30 medical centers in 26 locations around the world. Dr. Shukri coordinates Operation Smile’s activity in Israel and is not a first-timer in this type of humanitarian aid. In 1998, he embarked on a similar mission. “The situation today is worse than it was back then, both technologically and equipment-wise. I believe medicine is one of the fields that can bring the two sides together,” Dr. Shukri said.
Excerpts of an article by Hagai Einav, Ynetnews.com
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