Working in collaboration with the US State Department and Libyan National Transition Council (NTC), Spaulding Hospital North Shore (SNS) has been providing rehabilitation and medical care to 22 Libyan patients who were injured in the Revolution for freedom. The patients, ranging in age from 16 to early 40's, sustained varying degrees of orthopedic, neurological and psychological trauma in the war conflict. Spaulding North Shore was the first hospital in the country to participate in this care initiative, which is being paid for by the Libyan NTC.
SNS has set up a specialized program on a dedicated unit to deal with the rehabilitation, medical, as well as cultural and social needs of these patients. The 4th floor unit has been transformed- with Arabic translators, a prayer room and signs posted in Arabic on therapy equipment to help the patients' understand more about their program. Many of the patients sustained upper extremity and hand injuries, so a specialized hand clinic was set up on the unit.
Many of the Libyan patients required surgical procedures that were performed in PHS acute hospitals. At NSMC Salem Hospital, surgeon Jaime Rivera performed a life-changing surgical procedure on a 22-year old who suffered a gunshot wound to his abdomen during a battle with Gaddafi loyalists. While he and several other freedom fighters were trapped by Gaddafi's militia, he received a gunshot wound through his abdomen causing serious damage to his small intestine and colon. He received an emergency colostomy at a nearby hospital in Libya and then found himself on his way to the United States for continued medical care. Dr. Rivera determined that he was a good candidate for a colostomy reversal and successfully performed the procedure in November.
Other patients had surgery at Brigham and Women's and Mass General Hospitals, particularly for hand and upper extremity injuries sustained in the fighting. Dr. Sang-Gil Lee, Orthopedic Hand Surgeon from MGH, was consulted and performed surgery on many of the Libyan patients, including 17 year-old Meftah Hamad who is recovering here accompanied by his father. As many of these patients are young, in college or working to support their families in Libya, these surgeries truly are life-changing experiences for them.
This program has also received media coverage- locally, nationally and internationally with stations Al Hurra and Al Jazeera covering. The patients themselves have been communicating back home through email, Facebook and YouTube to share the story of their care, as well as to garner support to continue the Libyan care program in the United States. It is unclear at this time whether more patients will be coming for care.
For more information on the Libyan Program, please contact Kevin Love, Libyan Program Coordinator at kmlove@partners.org.
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