Top face surgeon trains Iraqi surgeons in Baghdad
06-May-2009
Top maxilliofacial surgeon Daniel Archer has just returned from Baghdad where he trained more than fifty Iraqi surgeons as part of a nation-wide training programme.
Mr Archer, who works at Northwick Park and Central Middlesex Hospitals, spent just over a week in the Iraqi capital along with four other British doctors, passing on his expertise in specialist head, neck and facial surgery.
The training included lectures, demonstrations and operations.
Mr Archer said: “The need for this kind of training for doctors in Iraq is unprecedented. The years of Saddam's regime and then the war, have meant that doctors have been cut off from learning about the latest techniques as well as international congress and access to updated medical libraries.
“The conditions they work under are also very challenging. Things we take for granted here such as basic amenities, equipment and follow-up care are not automatic in Baghdad.
The training programme was run by International Medical Corps UK. The charity’s director Peter Medway said the programme was extremely successful:
“We’ve had some tremendously positive feedback from the Iraqi doctors who participated. We’re extremely grateful to Daniel and his colleagues for the significant contribution they made to the doctors they trained.”
Notes to editors
1. For more information about International Medical Corps go to: http://www.imcworldwide.org.uk
2. For more information or to interview Mr Archer, contact Karen Garnham, Communications Department 020 8869 3552 or karen.garnham@nwlh.nhs.uk