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A special delegation including five experts in the field of plastics and burns from the Sheba Medical Center went to the Congo at the initiative of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in order to provide medical treatment to victims of severe burns in the towns of Sanga and Oriba, located in eastern Congo on the Burundi border.
The medical delegation, led by Dr. Eyal Winkler, Deputy Director of the Department of Plastic Surgery, includes: Dr. Shmuel Kaltskin, Dr. Ariel Tisona, Dr. Gil Grabov-Nardini and a nurse from the burn unit Noa Oshkova.
The delegation took off in coordination with the Congolese authorities and a special UN task force securing the team from Israel. The Israeli assistance was required following the disaster of the explosion of a fuel tank that struck the city of Sanga, in which more than 250 people died and many dozens were seriously injured.
Dr. Eyal Winkler: “We brought with us half a ton of medical equipment to treat dozens of wounded in two compounds. When we received the request from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we didn’t think twice and quickly organized ourselves to try and save lives in the Congo as well.”
The team will stay in the Congo for about a week and it is planned to perform over 25 operations on the skin and skin grafts. Daniel Saada, Israel’s ambassador to the Congo, also joined the team.
Published July 13 2010, Sheba Medical Center
