Lacrosse On The Gaza Strip

Report From MiST Director - Professor Sohail Khan.

Sohail is lead surgeon for the MiST Education Programme in Palestine.

Professor Sohail Khan and his newest lacrosse team.

"Following a busy 6-day week working training the local surgeons in Gaza, it was a pleasant change to go on the beach on a Friday. When I first went to the beach, I saw many children playing but nothing organized for them to do. So one Friday I turned up with my lacrosse sticks and started to play with the Gazan kids ...they were superb."

"The majority of them took to lacrosse like ducks to water and soon there were many kids wanting to have a go!"

A Lacrosse Enthusiast

Sohail has recently returned from Palestine but planning his medical and sporting comeback!

"I thoroughly enjoyed my Fridays, which were spent on the beach with these fantastic kids. When I return to Gaza in September, I intend to continue this beach experience with the Gazans…..the next convoy due in Gaza from UK is going to bring another 20 lacrosse sticks so I can start a proper lacrosse school and maybe one day we can have a Palestine team playing in the World Championships!"

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First Limb Reconstruction Unit (LRU) in West Bank

A Report by Dr. Kostas Giannikas - MiST Surgeon

In the aftermath of the Israeli bombing in 2009, Greek MiST were sent to Gaza in April 2009. Access was denied to Gaza by the Israelis, so to utilize the team, Dr Kostas Giannikas and Dr Androniki Drakou were asked to visit the West Bank to assess if MiST was needed in this region.

There in Nablus, the team met with Dr. Khalil Issa, an Orthopod who is currently the Deputy Dean of the newly founded medical school of the An-Najah University.

"After a long period of chatting, we created the 'National Reconstruction Unit of Palestine'. The know how and the training is provided by MiST via myself, Khalil Issa (Director of the Unit), and Dr. Mazen Abdul (Senior Specialist). Dr Ravi is the junior trainee who is attached to the Unit."

"The Unit holds an outpatient clinic once every week - every Wednesday - and we have operating sessions approximately every 6-8 weeks, which covers approx. 6 major cases. It is becoming increasingly more known in the West Bank area and we already have a waiting list. It has also received quite a bit of publicity, not only within the geographical limits of Palestine, but also neighbouring countries."

 The MiST Team at Work.

"The future is also quite bright. We are planning 2 sport and arthroscopy fellowships that hopefully will start within the next year in the currently built University hospital. We are still looking for a arthroscopy specialist to help out with this plan."

"In the following trip (in two weeks) we will be having a fellow from Greece who wants to gain some expertise in Ilizarov surgery, and we have planned for a Theatre Nurse to come over in October to upgrade the theatre provision of the hospital where we are currently working."
"The best thing about this project is that we are fairly economic (travelling expenses are paid by the University Hospital), and we are very flexible as we are really a very small team."