Healing the brutal face of war

Though her name means ‘the sun’ in English, 18-month-old Shams may never be able to experience sunlight in her life again. Half her face was blown away in an explosion in Baghdad, leaving her eyes buried under badly burnt skin.

Shams was with her parents when three cars exploded in Al Sadr, the predominantly Shia area of Baghdad, last year. Her mother died instantly. Shams survived to become a living testimony of the brutality of war.

The baby Iraqi girl is one of hundreds of thousands of victims of violence that has escalated since the US-led invasion of the country in 2003.

She lies in a bed at the Jordan Red Crescent Hospital in Amman, sucking on a feeding bottle before drifting off to sleep.

“She does not sleep at night,” said her father Hisham, 35, who arrived with Shams last week in the hope that plastic surgeons could reconstruct her face.

Her operation will be carried out by doctors from the international NGO Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). MSF, in association with the Jordanian government, has set up an aid programme in the capital, Amman, for Iraqi war victims.

Shams is one of 25 Iraqi patients who are receiving treatment in Amman as part of this programme.

Everlasting darkness

The disfigured baby no longer recognises day from night. Her life has become an everlasting darkness.

Her father might have survived the explosion but has begun a long and agonizing journey as he watches his maimed daughter moaning and wriggling in pain.

Doctors in Baghdad told Hisham there was nothing they could do to help his daughter regain her sight. Her optic nerves were damaged beyond repair but they told him that MSF doctors in Amman could restore part of her damaged face.

MSF opened its offices in Baghdad in 2003, just before the US-led invasion, but it was forced to move out in 2004 because of insecurity in the war-ravaged country.

“So we came to Jordan and discussed with Iraqi doctors on how best to help and agreed to provide hospitals there with medical supplies,” Thierry Allafort-Duverger, MSF’s Emergency Director, said.

We help patients who suffer from facial injuries including fractures, bone defects, skin and soft tissue defects, bone loss defects, severe burns that result from violence and others.

The health care system in Iraq has almost collapsed due to a lack of medicines, equipment and qualified staff.

According to figures released by the Iraqi Medical Association, of 34,000 Iraqi physicians registered prior to 2003, over half have fled the country and at least 2,000 have been killed.

Doctors and health care officials in Iraq are in constant contact with MSF in Amman to alert their colleagues about certain cases that need further medical attention.

“We help patients who suffer from facial injuries including fractures, bone defects, skin and soft tissue defects, bone loss defects, severe burns that result from violence and others,” said Allafort-Duverger.

Last August, the first batch of Iraqi patients arrived at the Amman hospital for treatment.

The organisation also welcomes Iraqi war victims living in Jordan. “If someone was injured during the war and their wounds continue to cause them trouble, they can also receive treatment at the hospital,” added Allafort-Duverger.

Lack of awareness

Although MSF has the capacity to deal with 100 patients a month, no more than 45 people have been treated since its opening. This low number of patients is believed to be due to a lack of awareness among Iraqis and health staff about the existence of the aid programme.

In addition, MSF workers are concerned that hurdles created by Iraqi authorities for certain patients might impede their efforts.

“Sometimes patients wait long to arrive in Amman because of lack of travel documents. Therefore, we are working with the Iraqi authorities to find a smoother way of transporting patients to Amman.

Photo: Maria Font de Matas/IRIN

Salim Pakhtiyar's leg was seriously injured in a suicide bomb attack in Mosul, Iraq.

“We hope things get calmer in Iraq, but if things continue at the same rate, we are ready to help,” said Allafort-Duverger.

Next to Shams sits Salim Pakhtiyar, an Iraqi from the northern Kurdish town of Irbil. He was injured after a suicide bomber blew himself up in Mosul last year. Pakhtiyar’s leg was badly damaged after his thigh bone was fractured in multiple places. Doctors in Irbil inserted rods in his thigh but the surgery failed.

Three weeks ago, Pakhtiyar was sent to Amman for further treatment. He is currently being kept under observation after doctors successfully attached the fragmented bones together.

“I was told to wait for six weeks. If the wound heals, I will return to Irbil. Otherwise, doctors might have to operate on me again,” said Pakhtiyar.

mbh/ar/ed

see also
Children living without limbs lack aid
Violence distressing mental state of population
Lack of medicines put asthmatic children at risk
Iraqi children flown to UAE for treatment