Providing surgery in a war-torn context: the Médecins Sans Frontières experience in Syria.

Background: Since 2011, civil war has crippled Syria leaving much of the population without access to healthcare. Various field hospitals have been clandestinely set up to provide basic healthcare but few have been able to provide quality surgical care. In 2012, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) began providing surgical care in the Jabal al-Akrad region of north-western Syria.

Operative trauma in low-resource settings: The experience of Médecins Sans Frontières in environments of conflict, postconflict, and disaster.

Background: Conflicts and disasters remain prevalent in low- and middle-income countries, and injury remains a leading cause of death worldwide. The objective of this study was to describe the operative procedures performed for injury-related pathologies at facilities supported by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to guide the planning of future responses.

Methods: A retrospective review of a prospectively collected database of all MSF procedures performed between July 2008 and June 2014 for injury-related indications was completed.