Feedback: a young intern discovers humanitarian medicine in Jordan

One of the 4 pillars of La Chaîne de l’Espoir is the training of local medical and paramedical teams. Thanks to the association’s international network of health experts, this training primarily benefits the teams present in the countries where La Chaîne de l’Espoir operates. But it is also a valuable and formidable experience for young volunteer doctors. A recent orthopaedic surgery mission in Jordan is a case in point.

In Jordan, access to healthcare for children is increasingly difficult

According to Unicef, 85% of Syrian refugee children in Jordan live below the poverty line. We also note that 45% of them under the age of 5 do not benefit from appropriate medical care. These difficulties in accessing healthcare also affect the poorest Jordanian children.

It is in this deteriorated health context that La Chaîne de l’Espoir is intervening to provide medical and surgical care to the most vulnerable Jordanian children and to Syrian children suffering from cardiac and orthopedic pathologies from the refugee camps.

Julia Royer, intern in pediatric orthopedics, tells her story

From October 23 to 30, 2021, La Chaîne de l’Espoir led a surgical mission in Amman, Jordan, for the medical management of orthopedic pathologies of the lower limbs (hips, knees, feet,…) as well as axis and neuro-orthopedic disorders.

As part of this humanitarian mission, Pr Yan Lefèvre and Dr François Semjen, orthopedic pediatrician and pediatric anesthetist respectively in Bordeaux, were visiting the Jordanian capital for the 3rd time. Julia Royer, a young intern in her 5th semester of pediatric orthopedics at Bordeaux, accompanied them for her 1st humanitarian experience.

Talking about this surgical mission for La Chaîne de l’Espoir, the intern recalls a feeling of belonging to the local medical team, always willing and eager to learn and be trained. This translated into immediate mutual understanding, despite the language barrier, and a real sense of efficiency, as well as a friendly working atmosphere.

The 1st day of the mission was devoted to medical consultations, and a total of over 60 sick children were seen on this day alone. A rich and intense moment for the volunteer doctors of La Chaîne de l’Espoir. It was also a great learning experience for Julia Royer, whose consultations included hip dislocations in older children. Pathologies at a much more advanced stage than in France.

The rest of the week was dedicated to operations, with long days stretching from 8am to 9pm and even 10pm on some days. This part of the operation involved the care of around twenty children, and proved to be very enriching for Julia Royer. Indeed, under the supervision of Pr Yan Lefèvre, who showed her what to do and made her do it, she was able to go to the operating room every day, which is not always possible in France because, as she confides, “you have to rotate with the other interns”. During this mission, she was either the 1st assistant or the operator, and this for five days, which is “exceptional” for her.

When asked to sum up her mission with La Chaîne de l’Espoir, the intern describes the experience as “very intense, exciting, enriching and educational”. In her own words, she was able to make an “immense leap forward” in just a few days. This enthusiasm is shared by her mentor, Prof. Yan Lefèvre, who confirms that it was “an extremely enriching experience that also enabled him to learn”. In fact, he would have dreamed of taking part in such a mission when he was an intern. Taking part in these medical missions allows him to connect with the philosophy of the medical profession: humanism and humanity. It’s the very essence of medicine. It’s first and foremost about being close to others and helping them.

Julia Royer’s statements suggest that La Chaîne de l’Espoir’s missions, which aim to train local medical teams, in turn contribute to the training of interns, who become better health professionals on a daily basis, and of course when they leave with La Chaîne de l’Espoir. However, and this is important to emphasize, the interns are never left alone: the senior surgeon is always in charge, and the volunteer doctors, whatever their level of experience, must act on mission as they do in their French hospital or private practice. In other words, patients are never left in the hands of interns, and there is no question of accepting to work in conditions that would put patients at the slightest risk. Theethics and deontology of La Chaîne de l’Espoir’s medical actions are at stake.