Mali: 2nd facial reconstructive surgery mission

From June 26 to July 1, the André Festoc Center will be hosting its 2nd reconstructive surgery mission, during which some sixty young patients will benefit from facial surgery.

Program coordinator Dr Jean Vendroux and Dr Sélim Bennnaceur will be accompanied by two anaesthetists. They will supervise the two Malian plastic surgeons, Dr Moussa Daou and Dr Rokiatou Kone.

60 small patients scheduled for surgery

The aim of this mission is to continue developing the management of these pathologies in Mali, their surgical treatment by training surgeons and anesthesiologists, and the long-term follow-up of small patients. The transmission of best practices also benefits DES students in anesthesia, as well as two surgeons in training.

This facial reconstructive surgery program is backed up by awareness and prevention campaigns run by Malian traditional practitioners. Beyond the physical pain and the consequences of these malformations on growth, discrimination against these children leads to moral suffering and social exclusion.

This mission, like the previous oneThis mission, like the previous one, will be carried out in collaboration with the local New Face Association for the recruitment and post-operative follow-up of the children. To this end, it has a reception center, the Centre Hirzel, staffed by nurses to provide care and monitor the children’s progress.

A team from France 2 will follow the mission for a report to be broadcast on the news.

La Chaîne de l’Espoir has been present in Mali for many years. It built the André Festoc Center on the grounds of the Mère-Enfant Le Luxembourg hospital , which opened in September 2018 and enabled the first pediatric heart operations in Mali’s history.

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.