La Chaîne de l’Espoir in Jordan from September 10 to 17, 2021

An orthopedic surgery mission led by a team from Besançon University Hospital will travel to Amman in Jordan to operate on Jordanian and Syrian refugee children suffering from orthopedic congenital malformations.

The Franc-Comté team will comprise 2 orthopedic surgeons, Drs Jean Langlais and Victor Font, and an anesthesiologist, Amélie Jurine.

They will accompany the medical team at Al Hanan Hospital in Amman. 65 children, most of them Syrian and referred in advance thanks to a network of mainly international partners working in the camps, will be seen in consultation and around 20 will undergo surgery.

Orthopedic birth defects are very common in Jordan. An estimated 3,000 babies are born each year with a dislocated hip, and 250 with clubfoot.

These children, who are disabled and require medical and surgical care that their families cannot afford, are rarely cared for.

And yet, access to healthcare is essential for their social, educational and professional integration.

This operational and training program began in 2012. It is supported by funding from ECHO, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection. It has benefited over 1,200 children. In 2020, despite the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, 140 children underwent surgery.

In addition to the care provided to the children, the program also includes training in early detection of malformations, diagnosis, medical and surgical treatment and post-operative follow-up.

To date, 300 healthcare staff have benefited. For this mission, the training will benefit 10 student nurses and 2 surgeons.

La Chaîne de l’Espoir is an international NGO founded in 1994 and present in nearly 30 countries. Its mission is to strengthen healthcare systems to give everyone, especially children, the same chances of survival and development.