The David Nott Foundation is a charity set up to train medical professionals to provide safe, skilled surgical care in countries impacted by conflict and catastrophe. Prof. Jeffery is one of the faculty members who delivers training on managing burns and trauma injuries. This year, he has gone on three missions: two training surgeons going to Gaza and one to Ukraine, where he has worked with front-line surgeons.
As Russian drone and missile attacks like those in Dnipro – which killed at least 5 – continue, surgical and anaesthetic teams must be equipped to save lives and limbs with the resources they have – that’s why the skills and techniques taught to these surgeons are essential.
One of the beneficiaries of the courses is Dr Israar Ul-Haq, who joined the HEST-UK (Hostile Environment Surgical Training-UK) course in Bolton to improve his trauma surgery skills before entering the heart of Palestine’s crisis in the Gaza Strip. Dr Israar Ul-Haq is a doctor with a primary focus on urgent and pre–hospital care. Volunteering his expertise, Dr Ul-Haq joined two separate missions to Gaza, serving in Khan Younis and Deir al Balah.
Dr Ul-Haq shared: “The course impacted every aspect of my work in Gaza, such as understanding the local environment and the types of injuries we encountered. Whether it was performing chest drains, managing blast injuries, conducting debridement, or treating burns, the training equipped me with the necessary skills I needed.”
Professor Jeffery, Medical Director at Pioneer says –
“I very much enjoy utilising the experience of severe injury that I have accrued throughout my career to train surgeons and help them cope with these injuries. I am grateful that Pioneer allows me the time off to pursue this the interest.”
