The patient suffered from a previous injury during an ankle disarticulation, which caused severe ulcers and a soft tissue injury (STI). As a result, the wound remained open, until the patient was brought to the Nasser Medical Complex.
Dr. Al-Maghrabi described the serious case: “Medical examinations showed that the wound did not heal properly, due to the nature of the body itself. The soft tissues could not get self-repaired, so a surgical intervention was required. In a two-hour procedure, we reconnected the Achilles tendon, replaced the patch of skin with a skin graft fed by a blood vessel to take blood to the injured part, and removed all ulcers and dead tissues to prevent chronic inflammations that can lead to amputation”.
This, Dr. Al-Maghrabi explained, is a significant surgery in Gaza. According to him, the patient is currently under observation at the Limb Reconstruction Unit of the Nasser Medical Complex. “He is receiving post-procedure care,” said Dr. Al-Maghrabi. “He is in good health, with no complications”.
The surgery was performed under the Gaza Specialist Surgical Services Support project, co-executed by QRCS and Palestine’s Ministry of Health (MOH) in Gaza.
It involves specialist surgical interventions in orthopedics, cardiovascular surgery, pulmonology, and urology.
At a total cost of $1.4 million, other activities of the project include support for patients phenylketonuria (PKU), as well as training programs for medical professionals, such as Master of Health Policy and Administration and Anesthesia and Intensive Care Diploma.